


Triangulation

by lizzledpink



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors
Genre: F/F, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-29
Updated: 2014-11-10
Packaged: 2018-02-23 04:11:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2533712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizzledpink/pseuds/lizzledpink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once Ganondorf and Cia have been defeated, Lana thinks it's time for her to move on - to a new place, to new people, to a new life. So she opens up a cross-dimensional gate and steps through to Lorule, where she definitely won't have any troubles about Links or Zeldas or Impas. Yep. Not a chance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Courage

**Author's Note:**

>   * Link and Ravio use "they" pronouns, they are both non-binary
>   * That "zer" part way through is a pronoun, not a typo. Same with "xe" towards the end
>   * This fic contains blatant multi-shipping and polyamory
>   * If I slipped up on Link’s or Ravio’s pronouns lemme know
>   * Every main character is at least 18 for this
>   * Be prepared to trip over major spoilers for Hyrule Warriors, A Link Between Worlds, and Twilight Princess
>   * Many thanks to [Glitz](http://glitteringworlds.tumblr.com), who read this over for me, helped me figure out how to avoid a terrible plot point, and is the absolute best
> 

> 
> Thanks for reading!

Lana plans to leave before dawn because Impa will be asleep, and she knows she will not be able to slip away while Impa is around to be wary and keep her close. She knows that she is the main reason Impa has chosen to stay while Link and Zelda finish the matter of the Master Sword. They're trying to keep her here, just a little longer.

But Lana still has the feeling of being half a person, and even if she thinks maybe she could build a life here, with these people she cares for, she feels she will be too much of a burden. Her half-self has already caused so much trouble for them and she wishes to trouble them no more.

That night she stays up weaving magic together, fragment after fragment, carefully crafting spellwork and embroidering it into the fabric of a single glove. When she has finished, there is the faint impression of a triforce over the back of the hand, and the topmost triangle glows gently. She slips invisibly into Impa's room and leaves it upon her nightstand. Impa will understand when she wakes, and Lana knows she is worthy to hold the power of Din.

Lana leaves the palace, feeling it somehow sacrosanct to disappear from within it. She heads part way up the eastern road. Her last view of Hyrule Castle is picturesque, with the pink of dawn slowly grasping the horizon just beyond the high peaks of the its towers. 

Lana focuses her magic, reaching out into the unknown, and calls forth a bright, golden gate, obscuring all but the trees and sky. She steps through to a dimension far, far from this one, a place she has never seen but knows they will never reach.

The sky is burnt orange here, and the sun is beginning to set.

She knows soon that she has stepped into a crueler place than Hyrule. After a bit of wandering she finds Kakariko Village (though it doesn't seem to go by that name in this land) and chitchats with the barman, asking for news. The news is full of robbery and murder, of people whisked away without reason in the dark. The bar itself is full of dark corners, cobwebs and forbidding stares. It's a land of devastation, Lana realizes. She wonders, briefly, if some terrible fate has befallen the Triforce of this world. Regardless she thinks it must be a fine place to nurse a broken spirit. "Lorule," she whispers to herself. Sounds like a fine place to be alone.

Which is why the youth in the strange, face-concealing bunny outfit, wearing a bird on their shoulder and trying their level best to sell her on the necessity of a high-quality Ice Rod (or so they claim), irritates her so. Ordinarily she knows she would not be so callous, but she just can't find it in herself to use her wit or her interest, only her tired, sullen anger.

They trail after her for a bit as she wanders the town streets. They keep trying to sell, sell, sell, and won't take no for an answer, nor take the hint when she glares at them sidelong and brandishes her book. She resists the urge to shove them away. "I'm not interested," Lana insists. "I have the weapons I need."

"You sure? Really? Ugh. Harsh crowd. It's so hard to be a weapons dealer when things are looking so up."

"Up?" Lana asks, perplexed. Nothing she has seen of this dimension so far could be called "up."

"Well, yeah, since the Princess waved her hands and saved us all, you know?" The bunny youth says. They gesture grandly, vaguely, Lana forgets to notice, in the shape of an inverted triangle. "You not from around here? The monsters here in Lorule were half annihilated a while ago. Roads are actually somewhat safe now! Robbers have mildly less cause to commit robbery! It's a mess!"

The bunny youth's tone of despair cracks Lana's shell just a little. "Are you really that unhappy that things are more peaceful?" she questions, skeptical.

The youth rocks back a little. "Well, no," they say. "But it really is bad for business. I need to find a new hobby. Deal in other kinds of treasures, or something. I just haven't found the next big moneymaker yet." The bunny pauses. "By the way, I'm Ravio!" They gesture to the bird on their shoulder, who squawks. "And this is Sheerow. Sorry about rambling without an introduction. I get a little carried away."

For a moment Lana considers snubbing this person, but the thought feels icy, like most of how she's felt since leaving Hyrule. She doesn't like it. She's trying to find a place to heal and be herself again, rather than excessively wallowing in heartbreak. Theoretically. She takes a deep breath, sticks out her hand and puts on a mostly-genuine smile. "I'm Lana, a sorceress. It's nice to meet you."

Ravio doesn't answer her for a moment, for reasons impossible to scrutinize. Their smiling mouth, the only part of them that's really visible (and only beneath oversized felt rabbit teeth), doesn't so much as twitch. Then they extend a hand, grasping hers firmly and shaking it up and down with a vigor she could probably match at her best. "Nice to meet you too, Miss Lana! Glad I could make you smile."

Yeah, she nearly shoves them again for that one.

They have a brief squabble, during which Lana makes a mild threat and shows off a bit of flashy magic, and Ravio backs away, yelps, and tells her, "I'm no fighter," while hiding behind Sheerow. After a bit, things calm down again between them. Lana is starting to find Ravio curious - they certainly stand out among some of the other people of this land; they seem full of vigor and give the impression of an innocently mischievous nature. And that’s ignoring the strange contradiction of being a weaponry merchant who claims not to be a fighter, as well. They're irritating, but strangely endearing, and clearly familiar with this world, so Lana asks if they could help point her in the direction of a good map. 

One of the nice things about being in a land that has seen recent darkness, Lana considers, is that hardly anyone wants to ask who are you or what's your story. Ravio won't care to ask why she wants a map at all. 

As it turns out, Ravio can certainly help her. They have a source - and why isn't Lana surprised? Ravio rambles on for a bit as they pave a way through the streets of Thieves' Town. Lana means "pave" almost literally - the character meanders this way and that, clearing a path almost by way of their erratic movements alone. She thinks they might be pickpocketing bystanders but she can't say for sure. If they are, she hasn't caught them at it. 

Ravio talks about their map supplier, how she always saves the best maps for them, how she knows all kinds of secret passageways and hidden nooks in Lorule. "She's great, as long as you're not squeamish. Why once," says Ravio, "she helped me find a bracelet that allowed one to flatten oneself against walls! I know, it sounds impossible, but it's true. You're not squeamish, right?"

"Why are you telling me this?" Lana asks. She of all people knows better than to question the existence of strange and powerful magic. "She sounds like a valuable resource, not the kind of person you just give away."

"I'm bored, and you don't care," said Ravio plainly. "You're not from here, you won't take advantage of me." To Lana, even though it sounds like a careless statement, it's also a strange, unexpected amount of trust.

"When you put it that way, it sounds like you're really not the person who should be worrying about having me take advantage of them," she remarks.

They flash her a grin. "Don't be silly. I'm only going to take advantage of you insofar as you take advantage of me."

There's really no arguing with that.

The mapmaker Ravio brings her to lives in a house on the outskirts of town, and Lana has never seen so many beetles, yet the building seems fresh and clean. Inside it is full of tanks with yet more insects. Of course, when she enters and sees a young dark-haired girl with a pigtails and an obvious fondness for insect life, that makes a little more sense. As does the mapmaking - if this "Beatrise" is anything like Agitha, then her bug friends can probably do all the mapmaking and secret-finding for her. 

When Ravio enters Beatrise engages them instantly in the latest news. "My darlings tell me there is a new grove in the forest," she says, leaning close to Ravio with her eyes big and unfathomable. "They can't see all of it, for there is a powerful magic there, and a danger - but not an evil one. They're so grumpy, because they just can't tell!"

"Thank you, Beatrise!" Ravio trills. "I might ask you more about that in a moment. But first, do you have a spare map of Lorule? Miss Lana here has come from a different land and the poor thing is all twisted about."

"I am _not_ twisted about," says Lana.

Beatrise leans towards her, her eyes still wide and seeing perhaps a bit too much. "Ooh, I see," she says. "No, you're not twisted about! You are a bit lost, though. Ravio, you should have just said she was lost. I am Beatrise, Miss Lana, and I will give you the maps you need."

As strange as Agitha, Lana thinks, perhaps stranger. Nevertheless, this girl strikes her much the way Ravio does: whimsical and mischievous, and willing to cheat her way through life just a little, but ultimately kind and somehow unbroken by the world around her.

Ravio grins at Lana brightly in a premature "I told you so" as Beatrise starts rummaging through scroll after scroll behind her little desk, sometimes tossing the wrong ones off against the wall behind her. Sheerow leaps off Ravio's shoulder to flutter around Beatrise's head curiously. At last she resurfaces with the right scrolls. She sets one aside and spreads the other open with the back of each hand. The map of Lorule is laid before her, and she begins to recognize locations as familiar yet different: Lake Hylia, Death Mountain, Lanayru Desert, the Lost Woods. She sees swamp where she might expect desert and snow where there should be rock, but it’s still, in some impossible way, all the same.

"There you go," Beatrise says, cheerful like a smiling mannequin. "Now you know Lorule, don't you? As for this one..." She lifts her hands from the first scroll and it snaps itself shut again, rolling off to the side just as Beatrise spreads the other map.

Lana doesn't recognize its shape until Ravio leans over her shoulder, conveniently ignoring personal space. "Is this the grove you mentioned?" they say, surprised. With that guidance, Lana now understands the map - the bottom is full of rigid, obvious clearings and paths, the middle is murky and fluid, more like currents than proper paths, and the top is a jagged circle written in blue with a question mark within. 

"Yes," says Beatrise. "Both of you should go. It was supposed to be just you, Ravio, but my darlings think Lana would benefit from going too. Lana, you're a witch, right?"

"A sorceress," Lana corrects automatically. 

Beatrise makes a mildly judgmental little "hmm" noise at that. "Well, you can use magic. Please will you keep them safe for me? I will give you these maps for free, and future maps as well, if you will go with them on this little quest."

Lana considers it, absently running a hand down the spine of her grimoire. "Yes," she says finally. "I don't have anything better to do."

Ravio looks at her as though she's suddenly changed the rain from water to crystal. "Thank you, Lana," they say with an unexpected sincerity.

She smiles back openly. "You're welcome."

The trip to Skull Woods - Lana hadn't thought the Lost Woods could sound more sinister, but she was wrong - goes by quicker than she expects. Ravio is a constant source of entertainment and an apparent fountain of praise. They seem amazed at her magic all the time, even the parts they've seen before on occasion. 

They remark that they have never met a witch so powerful, but then, that must be why she is a sorceress instead. Lana takes the praise with faint embarrassment; the spells she's been using aren't even close to as much as she can do. It seems like a better idea to avoid that kind of attention. 

Still, Lana tears through monsters with practiced ease. Meanwhile Ravio pulls out what seems like an infinite variety of weapons: a rod which conjures sand, a magical boomerang, and other strange trinkets they defend themself with. Lana is both impressed and annoyed. Ravio is a constant exercise in patience, but she is starting to think they are one that is worth it, in no small part because they can bring out her bright side on a surprisingly regular basis. 

There are moments where she is tricked by them, she thinks, into feeling ordinary once more, like a whole person capable of laughing and crying and putting on a cute face and teasing a poor bunny-youth and giving as good as she's got. Other somber moments return as she sits at campfires keeping watch, as Link and Zelda and Impa cross her mind and she remembers briefly a time where she almost felt as if she fit in, but only almost. Those are the times when Ravio is not cajoling her and making her think briefly that she is not alone.

The two of them quickly form a strange companionship, and it's through that companionship that they reach the center of the woods in what feels like no time at all. 

After quite a bit of confusion, as one expects from this forest, they find the grove and the strange magic barrier through which Beatrise’s friends could not see. Lana finds herself filled with trepidation as the barrier repels her. She coats her fingers in repelling magic and presses them against the barrier, feeling it like solid, unshatterable glass. Perhaps if she threw enough power at it, she could break it, but it feels wrong, and anyway, she doesn’t want to scare off her new friend.

"Um, hey, Lana?" her new friend says. She turns to look at them and finds that they have stuck an arm partway through the barrier without resistance. "I… I think it’s meant for me," they say in their rare, quietly sincere voice.

Lana ceases her prodding against the barrier. "Okay," she says. "Be careful."

"Careful’s my uncle’s middle name," Ravio jokes. They smile a smile she knows is more meant for her than them, and slips past the faint blue glow of the magic, disappearing into the fog within. Lana sets up camp and begins to wait, hoping. Strange magic, magic she can’t touch, makes her fidget with worry. Yet, the magic was, as Beatrise hinted, not malevolent in the least. Just strange, and powerful. Lana worries for Ravio but thinks things will turn out okay.

Ravio reappears from the barrier half an hour later with their head bent slightly and their footsteps slow. At first she fears they are injured but when they step through the barrier they turn their head and smile gently at her. "Thank you for waiting," they say. Behind them, the magic and the fog begin to fade and what’s left is merely more trees. Ravio looks behind. "That wasn’t there before," they say without surprise.

"Are you okay?" Lana asks, hesitant.

"I ran into something unexpected," Ravio says. The lack of emotion in their usually animated voice is a little eerie. "I’m perfectly fine, just tired, and I feel kinda bad, I guess. I don’t think I can tell you what happened. You came all this way to see a mystery with me but I don’t think I can share it with you."

Lana can’t help but be a little disappointed but nods in understanding. Whatever was there, it seems to have shaken Ravio for some reason. "It’s okay," Lana says. Before she can stop herself she adds, "You’ll just have to make sure to show me the next one."

"The next one?" Ravio says. It isn’t a tone of disgust, it’s a tone of bewilderment, as though Ravio can't imagine she’d want to stick around. It reveals a side of them that Lana hasn’t quite seen yet, an odd vulnerability. Lana wonders how many people have abandoned Ravio before.

"Nothing better to do," Lana repeats herself, but she softens it with a grin and a wink.

After a moment Ravio starts laughing and soon Lana joins them and feels very, very light inside.

Ravio does not tell her about that mystery and in fact continues to be a little mysterious. The two of them return to Thieves’ Town and Ravio says in an apologetic tone that they must disappear for a couple of days to do something, but they promise they will return. To seal the deal Ravio bestows Sheerow upon Lana, and the bird hops over to her shoulder, perching on the metallic fixture of her cloak as though it has sat there thousands of times. Lana pats it with a small smile and thinks that Ravio will keep their promise. 

They do. The morning after the next, Lana is hanging out at the bar, dwelling on all sorts of depressing topics, when they tap her shoulder. She jumps and Sheerow starts chirping, and she’s certain the damn thing is laughing at her. Ravio smiles underneath their hood.

Lana learns that Ravio rarely makes promises but almost always keeps them. The "almost" is for the times when they promise they will be right on time but they always show up a little bit late. It’s a tolerable, if irritating, habit.

When Beatrise next sends them to a hidden trove near the Eastern Palace, hidden under heavy guard, Ravio does share this mystery with Lana. What they find is a beautiful harp capable, they learn, of summoning birds. It is mainly harmless but they both laugh when Sheerow reacts by nearly swooning off a nearby branch. Ravio thinks it will fetch a good price and offers immediately to split the rupees they get from its sale with Lana. Lana agrees, though privately considers that she still has a decent stash of rupees from her time in the previous Hyrule, and wonders if she should do something with it or just continue to conceal it as she’s been doing.

They become mystery chasers, the pair of them. Lana finds that the mystery that surrounds Ravio grows and grows. After each secret they discover Ravio often leaves for a few days, and then returns with a bright smile, ready to tackle the next adventure. Sometimes Lana makes up stories to herself about Ravio’s secret girlfriend back home or the treasure stash they carefully maintain deep below Hyrule Castle. These are silly fantasies but they entertain her. 

The two of them establish a pattern between Ravio’s street know-how and Lana’s magical skill, and together make an excellent team. Ravio stumbles regularly into traps that make her wonder how they survived this long in the first place. They shrug and smile and manage to conceal their skill with a sword from her for no less than two weeks, having avoided swords up until then through use of their other weapons. Lana sighs at them, resigned already to the haphazard way they wield logic. 

Ravio's strange brand of luck seems to run off on her. As they adventure they tend to run into silly troubles, all the time, for no good reason. 

One time their search for an earth-imbued staff spoken of in rumor leads them to a dark mage’s house with three kidnapped children, and both of them are the kind of bleeding-hearts to, you know, free the kids. And once they’ve done that Ravio takes a sword off a knocked-out guard (“These mooks aren’t worthy of my more fun weapons,” they explain) and she joins them in taking out the kidnappers. They string the kidnappers up on tall poles wearing only their underwear, and consider it a good day’s work. They don’t find the staff. Oh, well.

Another time, they’re un-stealing a youth’s keepsake of his parents from some rich jerk who profits off of underpaid workers when they run into an assassin who intends to kill the man. So they knock the assassin out, tie them up, and leave them in the house with a note saying that maybe if the jerk paid his workers more they wouldn’t try hiring people to murder him - you know, maybe. (Not that they _know_ that’s why the assassin was there, but who cares? Maybe it’ll work.) 

Another time, they reach a hidden room in a damp north-eastern dungeon and come out treasureless, but find a young, lost Zora for their troubles. And of course, they just have to return the poor thing home. And stay with zer family for a nice, if fishy, dinner. The Zoras, who usually avoid the surface people of Lorule and keep to themselves, show their thanks as quietly as they can. Lana wonders what Ruto, always so loud and active, would think of these subdued, quiet versions of her people.

To put it simply, the two of them run into a lot of trouble while causing trouble, and quickly build a knack for do-gooding on the side.

Lana considers telling Ravio more about herself, but she doesn’t want to burden them with the sense that they have to unload their secrets on her in return. They clearly have secrets aplenty, for in their entire friendship never has Lana seen the top of their face. For all she knows, they're actually a person-sized rabbit. But Lana knows she is not yet willing to talk about having herself split, having to see herself die, having to leave. So she stays silent and treasures the trust that has grown between them in spite of all these things they keep hidden.

The next mystery, when Ravio hums a little tune and opens the box which holds the treasure, turns out to be a sacred bracelet for the ancient goddess Lolia. Ravio touches it with a bit of awe and fear, and says that they could never sell this. They trace the insignia of the royal family with one finger, while Lana watches and adjusts to yet another strange variation of a familiar symbol. "Actually," Ravio says, "Lana, will you do me a favor?" She’s not sure she likes the sound of that.

This is how Lana finally meets the Princess of Lorule.

Princess Hilda is exactly as Lana does and does not expect her. She is intense in a way that Princess Zelda lacks, though Lana thinks she might care for her country with equal fervor. Lana is dressed in a beautiful sapphire dress with gold embroidery around the edges which Ravio insisted made her look "ravishing" and certainly worthy of a meeting with her Highness. It was a little expensive, but Lana pitched in a few of her backup funds and Ravio didn’t complain about the expense, saying it was entirely worth it. It probably was. Lana knew she would have felt tiny in comparison to the presence of Princess Hilda without it. The throne room feels too grand for her as it is.

In the throne room, Lana is able to kneel before the Princess and open the box in her hands with surprisingly little fuss. "Your Royal Highness, my name is Lana. I come from another land. In my recent travels I found a bracelet of the goddess Lolia," she states. "I’ve been told it is an artifact of the royal family, and so belongs in your care. I offer it to you freely and hope it pleases you, your Highness."

Hilda steps forward to inspect the bracelet, and turns a scrutinizing eye to Lana herself, as well. She lifts the bracelet from the box, rubbing a finger over its tiny depiction of Lolia, serene. "This is beautiful," she says. "However, I cannot accept it." She puts it back in the box and gently pushes it towards Lana.

Lana has to stop herself from jumping up. She looks up, surprised. "Your Highness?"

"Unfortunately, with the land in its current state, I would probably have to sell such a trinket to an unworthy buyer," says Hilda. The statement is made simply, without bitterness. "The kind of funds selling this would bring could fund as many as three new facilities desperately needed by my people. But, I also can’t bear the thought of such a precious item in the hands of some collector who cares nothing for it. Do you believe in Lolia, or perhaps I should ask, do you believe in Hylia, Lana of Hyrule?"

Lana’s eyes widen. The Princess knows of other worlds? "I’m…" The words catch in her throat. "I’m not exactly from Hyrule," she forces herself to say. Belatedly, in a rush to answer the Princess’ demands, she adds, "And I don’t really know if I believe in Hylia, but sometimes I want to."

"My mistake," Hilda says graciously. Her eyes are positively enchanting, and her smile both comforts Lana and makes her feel the need to shudder to the bone. "I’m sorry if I struck the wrong chord. Regardless of your origin or your past, you are welcome in my kingdom, Lana." Her smile turns slightly, a little bitter or regretful, Lana isn’t sure which. "This kingdom has rarely been kind, but it has always been open to all, and I intend to keep it that way."

Hilda is beautiful and cuttingly honest. Lana thinks she might be in love.

With one hand Hilda shuts the box on the bracelet. "I beseech you to keep this, Lana. It’s better appreciated in your hands than sold by mine."

"Yes, Your Highness," Lana murmurs, bewitched. She lowers the box, and continues to kneel, uncertain of what to do.

"May I make another request of you?"

Anything, Lana thinks. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Would you meet with me informally later? Tomorrow morning, maybe? Nothing so grand as this audience."

There’s part of Lana that is fairly certain she is drowning, similarly and again differently to how she has found herself drawn to Princess Zelda before. She wonders if she’s fated always to fall for the same heroes, even when they’re so different from the ones she usually finds herself drawn to in that horrible, misplaced way.

"Gladly," she makes herself respond.

Hilda’s smile dazzles her wildly. "Then you are dismissed, Lana. Thank you for bringing me this bracelet, and for the company."

"By your leave," Lana stammers, getting to her feet. She feels off-balance as though she may tip over without thought and makes sure to place her feet step by step in the right place as she exits the throne room. She has to force herself neither to look back nor to speak and she thinks she doesn’t breathe until she’s already left the palace.

Though she left Ravio just east of the northern Sanctuary they seem to have brought themself to Hyrule Castle anyway. They appear at her side just beyond the drawbridge, as soon as they are hidden from the guards by the trees. "So, so? How’d it go? Wait, you still have the box?"

"She asked me to keep it," Lana tells them, dazed.

"Oh," they say.

"I’m going to meet her again tomorrow morning, more informally."

" _Oh_ ," Ravio repeats. "Huh. Okay."

Ravio’s response is such a non-response and so thoroughly Ravio that it charms her out of her daze. She smiles at them and examines the box in her hands. She opens it and takes out the bracelet. Lana tries to put it on, but fumbles with the latch, which seems much better suited to someone with two free hands. She looks back up at Ravio. "Help me put it on?" she asks.

Without further prompting Ravio’s nimble fingers jump in and quickly close the bracelet around her wrist. They look up and smile at her. "There! Beautiful," they say, with a tone less teasing than when they had called her "ravishing" just the day before. Lana feels warm at the compliment, flattered and a little gleeful. 

Lana realizes with striking horror that she might be a little in love with Ravio too, in another more gradual way. She swallows the feeling and smiles and wonders if her heart will ever stop making poor decisions for her, choices she most likely cannot afford to make.

"Come on, let’s go find an inn," Lana says. "You’ve been hiding in the trees too long, you know. You’re absolutely covered in tree sap."

"Am not!" They shout, but when they brush one hand over the opposite arm the fabric snags for a moment as the sap sticks to itself. Lana bursts into giggles, and Ravio starts to giggle too.

They find an inn not far from the Sanctuary and stay there, which isn’t something they always do but Lana has a pretty dress to take good care of this time. At first Ravio stays away from the subject but before too long their curiosity gets the best of them. They relax in a couple of chairs at the small restaurant below the inn, ignoring the other travelers, who seem mostly like the kind of company they don’t usually keep.

Ravio starts pestering her about what Princess Hilda was like. Was she gorgeous? Did she wear a dress that was almost as pretty as Lana’s? Of course the comparison goes that way, Lana, why would they ever assume the Princess would look better than her? No, Ravio is not always such a loyal subject to the crown, that’s true. Did Lana get to see beautiful paintings in there? How much did Hilda flirt with her before making the invitation?

Lana thanks Farore a thousand times that she does not blush easily and answers each of their jabs one by one. Ravio seems to be in that state where they get so interested that they act like an excited 8-year-old. Lana is glad because their excitement keeps her grounded, as they must know it does. It gives her a chance to make witty comebacks and prevents her thoughts from floating too high and far away into dreams of things that will probably never happen.

"Ravio," Lana snips cheerfully, "if you keep this up I’m going to assume you’re jealous."

"Jealous?" says Ravio, "Me? Hmm, maybe a little. I scoped you out _ages_ ago and knew you were something special. Then the Princess swoops in, gets a good first look at you, and bam!" Ravio brings their hands together with a clap. "Hot date with the Princess, no hard work at all. Sure must be nice being royalty so you can order your future girlfriend to meet with you."

The joking way Ravio puts it comforts Lana a little. "Sorry, I hadn’t intended to fish for your feelings," she says, truthfully. "I shouldn’t have said that."

"And I should have stopped teasing you about Hilda before I even started, but nope!" Ravio shakes their head. "It’s all part of the banter, Miss Lana, don’t worry about it." Lana thinks that they call her "Miss Lana" at the funniest times.

"Fine, fine." Lana smiles at Ravio. "Thank you, though."

"Aw, I’m gonna blush," says Ravio, tugging their bunny ears down as if to demonstrate it. 

All in all, it’s a good day, and a good night, even if Lana is a little terrified. How is she supposed to deal with this Hilda-not-Zelda whose smile has already stirred her heart? How, in context of that, is she to deal with Ravio? Will the Princess’ requests require her to leave them? She doesn’t think she could do that, either. Ravio is not captivating the way Hilda is but Lana is realizing that they make her happy in a way nobody ever has before. She wonders if Ravio knows just how much they have already helped her heal by giving her a place in the universe where she almost feels welcome and okay.

Before they part for bed, Lana asks, "Can I tell you something?"

"Is it a secret?" Ravio puts their hands over the sides of Sheerow’s head as if to prevent the bird from hearing.

"No," Lana says, chuckling. "But it is a little serious."

Ravio takes their hands away from Sheerow, curiosity piqued.

"I want you to know," Lana says, trying not to trip over the words, "that I’m not going to just leave you, no matter what happens with the Princess. I won’t. I couldn’t."

Ravio doesn't respond audibly but the way their mouth opens slightly in surprise combined with their silence is enough of a response for her, even if she can’t see their face. "Lana…" They murmur, awed.

"I wanted to make that clear," Lana adds. "It just - it seems like people have probably left you for ‘better’ things before and I don’t want to be one of them."

"Y-you don’t even really know who I am," Ravio stammers. They tilt their head slightly. "Can you really say that?"

"It’s not like you know much about me either, besides the fact that I’m not from Lorule," Lana retorts, nervously flipping the pages of her grimoire with one finger. "So yeah… Yeah, I mean it."

Nervously, Lana shifts forward and lands a kiss on their bunny-suited cheek. "Goodnight, Ravio." Before they can react she darts into her room, shuts the door, and slides down against it, finding it hard to believe she’d just done that.

After a moment of silence she hears Ravio speaking, muffled through the door. "Did you hear that, Sheerow?" says Ravio. "Wow." Lana waits with her heart in her throat, but all she hears after that is the shuffle of footsteps and the closing of a door. She releases a deep breath and finds herself smiling. 

And then, very sensibly, she locks the door, assembles her belongings, carefully slips out of the pretty dress, and starts to sleep. 

In the morning she feels refreshed and buzzing, ready to take on what the new day brings but also horribly full of nerves. Ravio jokes around and tries to get her all peppy and ready to go, as if they’re some kind of fan at a footrace trying to get the star sprinter ready. Lana shakes her head at them, ever impressed by their endless fountain of pointless chatter. 

"You’ll do fine," Ravio says. "Just don’t spill anything that’s gonna stain and bat your eyelashes a lot."

"Is that the advice _you'd_ take in this position?"

"Of course," Ravio scoffs. "I never give advice I wouldn’t follow myself."

"You told me once to try putting oatmeal on top of cinnamon instead of the other way around."

"That was one time, Lana! It was an experiment!"

"You’re hopeless," says Lana. She tugs at her skirt. Though Hilda had said this meeting would be more informal, she can’t help but feel a little self-conscious wearing one of her usual, slightly skimpier outfits. But it isn't as though she has another nice dress up her sleeve at the moment - at least, not one that wouldn’t be conjured with magic and perhaps risk fading away at an inopportune moment. "Don’t break anything while I’m gone."

"Shoo," Ravio says, flapping their hands at her. They break into a small, honest smile. "Good luck, Lana."

"I’ll see you later," she says, smiling back, and she starts the trek up the castle trying to brush off her growing intimidation. 

When she announces herself at the gate the a guard escorts her to a tower deeper into the center of the palace, and after just a few too many stairs she finds herself in a luxurious room with several couches, a few tables, and a fireplace. The table nearest the fireplace has a water pitcher on it and a few empty cups, so Lana chooses to sit there. Princess Hilda hasn’t arrived just yet, so Lana settles into the comfort of a good cushion and pours herself a glass of water. She sips at it to steady her nerves.

"I’m very sorry about the wait," Hilda says when she enters. She gives Lana that graceful smile again and Lana feels like melting. "One of my advisers wanted a word with me, and then took it upon himself to turn a word into a fuss."

"No problem, Your Highness," says Lana. "I hope his fuss hasn’t inconvenienced you."

"The matter will be dealt with, but sadly, that is how my advisers often get: fussy." Hilda shakes her head mournfully and takes a seat by Lana. Her dress is slightly less full of splendor than that of the day before.

Nevertheless Hilda still makes her feel small beside her - she, a powerful sorceress with hardly any match! 

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Your Highness. Thank you for the invitation." 

"Thank you for accepting it," Hilda says with kindness. "It is not an easy thing to acquiesce to a Princess' curiosity, and surely you must know I am curious about you, Lana not of Hyrule."

"I guess I'm curious too, if Your Highness is willing to indulge my curiosity in return," Lana says slowly. "It surprises me that you would know of other dimensions, even for one so clearly wise as you."

The grace in Hilda's smile breaks a little and she pours herself a glass of water. Lana hopes she hasn't said something terribly wrong. 

"I know of Hyrule very well, though I have never been there, myself," Hilda says frankly. "I once nearly destroyed it. No, I should rephrase: I once intended to destroy it."

Lana stares at Hilda in shock. Thoughts of Cia swirl into her mind and she thinks but does not say that she once nearly destroyed Hyrule too. 

Hilda smiles sharply. "I don't blame you for your reaction. It's not a fact that is widely known, for good reason. Most of my people know nothing of Hyrule, and even if they did, I'm sure such a story would bring chaos. I am more popular as a ruler now than I ever have been, now that Lorule is on the incline, but in return there are those who have made themselves my enemies because they resent that I may actually regain power in this realm. Those enemies would no doubt leap at the chance to take Lorule for themselves and do far more untoward things with it than I. Keeping these secrets is an unfortunate necessity."

The remarks make Lana consider the politics of Lorule in a way she hasn't before. She feels a bit privileged to be hearing this - it is clear that these are secrets Lana need not know, glimpses into the Princess' life that very few ever get. 

"That... seems like a difficult position to navigate, Your Highness," Lana says carefully. She glances away. "I can't judge you for having tried to destroy Hyrule. It sounds like there's more to the story than that, and besides, if I did, I think I would be a little bit of a hypocrite."

"What, you nearly destroyed Hyrule, too?" Hilda says, in an amused, lofty voice. Lana doesn't quite reply. Instead she meets Hilda's eyes for a moment, completely serious, until Hilda understands. 

Princess Hilda nods slowly. "I see. I can't say I expected that from you."

"I'm sure the story is as complicated as your own, Your Highness," Lana says quietly. She drinks from her glass of water to quench a suddenly very dry throat. 

"Maybe you truly will understand," Hilda says. Her brilliant eyes capture Lana's again and Lana wonders if Hilda isn't using some kind of magic to do it. "It was... It was a hard time. What you see of Lorule now is a step up from how it was. Lorule fell into disrepair centuries ago because its Triforce was shattered. Not just broken into its pieces: shattered. "

The words strike Lana. "Shattered?" she whispers. Such a thing is hard to imagine; it fills her with a dread and a disgust she can't articulate. 

"My ancestors thought it was too powerful and too dangerous to risk it falling into the wrong hands," Hilda explains. "But without the Triforce, the land decayed. When I took power here, there was little to take: the legitimate ruler of a lawless land has far less power than the cheating rich or the successful thieves. However, I was determined to find a way to restore Lorule. Then, I learned of Hyrule."

"A Hyrule with its Triforce intact," Lana whispers, stunned. 

"You catch on quickly," Hilda says with an empty smile. "I was willing to condemn Hyrule to our own fate to save this land."

"What happened?"

"That which always happens - in Hyrule, anyway. A hero clothed in green." 

Lana feels her heart rate climb a little. Of course. Hyrule is in danger? Link will be there. She shoves away the thought of them and hopes Hilda hasn't observed much of her reaction. For her Link might be the sorest subject of them all. 

"I should have expected it, but I did not," Hilda admits. "There were myths about Lorule having a hero clothed in violet, but they long preceded the breaking of our Triforce, and I didn't consider that in a thriving land they might be more than just tall tales. Eventually, Link saved Hyrule, and Princess Zelda as well. Then, the two returned to their land. They should have abandoned us, for what we did to them. But... Shortly after they left, Lorule's Triforce reappeared and reformed."

"They used their Triforce to bring yours back?" asks Lana. Then she shakes her head. "What am I saying? Of course they did."

"Does that satisfy your curiosity, Lana?" Hilda asks. She smiles and takes one of Lana's hands into her own. "You needn't satisfy mine quite so thoroughly. I imagine you can believe me when I say I know how painful these things can be."

Lana feels herself redden a little at the Princess' forwardness and finds it suddenly harder to breathe. "I - I should at least tell you some though. It's... I believe I encountered a different Hyrule from yours. I, something happened, a demon... Part of me wanted Hyrule's destruction, but part of me, I fought back. I fought at their sides - Zelda, Link, Impa. And they all -" The words catch and Lana feels hollow. Her voice tightens. "How can you stand it?" she asks. "That they were so kind to you and so wonderful, and all you deserved from them was hatred?"

"I cried on the shoulder of a dear friend," says Hilda. 

Lana feels a few tears on her face and wipes them away with her free hand, refusing to break down. "I'm sorry," she says. "I don't think I can do this, Your Highness." She carefully withdraws her hand from Hilda's grasp and tries not to see Hilda's pain at the rejection. "I'm still too shaken by what happened with the Princess Zelda I knew. I... I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested, but I can't do this with you right now."

Hilda's hurt look fades into comprehension and empathy. Sweetly, she cups Lana's cheek. "Perhaps that's for the best. Will you at least come see me sometimes?" she asks. "I have so few in my life who know what I've done, and fewer still who have supported me nevertheless. I am selfish and one way or another I want to have you in my life. I would like to be your friend, Lana."

"I might be able to manage that much," says Lana. She's a bit surprised to find that she means it. Romance is beyond her just now, but Hilda is probably right that they could both benefit from each other's company.

"Then I will instruct my guards to expect the occasional visit from you," Hilda says. 

There is something plainly dangerous about Hilda, Lana knows it. She is too bewitching, too passionate, too graceful. Though she's agreed to friendship, Lana suspects Hilda intends to quietly court her as well. Hilda underscores this suspicion as she drops her hand from Lana's face, lifts Lana’s hand, and kisses her knuckles gently. "Perhaps we should part for now," Hilda suggests. "It's been an emotional morning."

Lana agrees, makes her farewells, gives a sincere promise to return, and exits Lorule Castle feeling hopeful, upset, and numb all at once. 

Ravio slips by her side partway down the road. "So how'd it go? Did you get to kiss her?" They ask cheerily. 

Not knowing what to say, Lana frowns. 

"Aw, not so good?" Ravio says. They sling an arm around Lana's shoulders. 

Lana turns into their arm and draws them into a brief hug.

"Whoa, whoa, hey! What's this all about?" Ravio asks, flustered. 

"It's nothing," Lana says, releasing them from the hug. She smiles at them in gratitude. "Just wanted to let you know you're appreciated."

"Golly," says Ravio. "You sure know how to surprise a rabbit. Wait, does that mean it actually went well?"

Lana smiles mysteriously and tilts her head, rolling her eyes skyward. "Well... I'll tell you, but only if you buy our dinner tonight."

"Lana!" Ravio whines. "Are you the Princess’ girlfriend now or what? Come on, tell me!" She laughs and starts rebuffing their pleas, knowing she'll give in and tell them a little of it soon, when the wound is a bit less raw.

Later, over the dinner Ravio buys, she does, though she leaves out the details of her past and Hilda’s, only saying that they had some things in common. "She was amazing," Lana confides. "But I’m still torn up about what happened before I came to Lorule… So we’re going to try friendship instead, for the time being. Oh, I can’t _believe_ I turned down the Princess of Lorule."

"Smart," says Ravio. They nod quickly, making their ears flop a little. "Wouldn’t want to put the Princess in the position of being a rebound."

"Ravio!" Lana yelps, scandalized. 

"What? You had your heart broken and you’re still hung up on it. It happens."

"It’s not that simple," Lana protests. She stops herself and then groans and lightly thumps her head against the table. "Actually, I guess it kind of is."

"Told you so." Ravio brandishes their spoon at her. "No shame in waiting on a girl like that. If she’s any good she’ll give you your space, and then a few months from now you’ll feel all better and start making out with her all the time."

"Are you trying to cheer me up by being crude?"

"Only if it’s working.”

Lana shakes her head. "You’re so annoying."

"I try!"

And so things settle back into an illusion of normalcy. 

They get a letter from Beatrise, and in the letter there is a map leading them to a cavern west of Death Mountain, with a small winky-face and a butterfly scribbled over it. Beatrise has never bothered to _send_ them a map before, so both Ravio and Lana have to admit they’re very, very curious. 

"She hasn’t even given us a hint of what to expect," Lana complains, turning the map every which way. It’s very cryptic all-around. "Usually she explains her doodles in person…" Part of her wants to whip out a special light spell used by some practitioners of magic to reveal invisible ink, but she can’t imagine that it’d be necessary here.

"Well, Beatrise hasn’t steered us wrong yet," says Ravio. "Maybe it’s like that grove in the woods, where she knew we had to go but that was it."

"I still don’t like not knowing what we’re getting into," says Lana. "With that at least I could be prepared for weird magic, and I know how to deal with weird magic."

"Okay. We’ll be extra on guard, then," says Ravio. 

If Lana can spill some of her secrets to Hilda, nearly a complete stranger, then she can afford to start letting Ravio piece her past together. "Yes, we will," she says thoughtfully. She shuts the map.

"Great!" Ravio cheers and pets Sheerow, who makes a sound Lana has been calling the bird-equivalent of a cat’s purr. "Want to set out?"

"You bet!"

They leave the inn quickly and head off to the mountain pass north of the Sanctuary, taking an unfamiliar route because the strangeness of this task still grates on Lana’s nerves for some reason. Admittedly, it might not be the only thing eating at her, but Ravio seems fine with indulging her worries and taking the slower, safer route a little beyond the road.

Surprisingly, it’s not Hilda that’s on her mind, or at least not completely. She’s okay with how she left things with Hilda, and glad that she’s going to have a while to process it. With the matter of Hilda in a somewhat settled state, instead, she’s re-examining everything with Ravio. It’s hard for her to believe how incredibly precious they’ve become to her. Now that she’s resolved to start telling them a few things, she can’t help but worry about the outcome. The thought that they might be scared of her, or reject her, gives her the chills. And that, she thinks, is _without_ the realization that she might be slowly falling for them coming into play.

There’s a part of her, and a not small part, that thinks she could adventure with Ravio at her side for years and years and never feel bored or lonely, and it’s utterly terrifying.

But those kinds of thoughts aren’t even relevant right now. She tries to focus on the present, and the present is simple: she’s going to show Ravio a taste of what she can really do, and she hopes they react well. That, and something about Beatrise’s map still bothers her, but she can’t put a name to it.

As night falls and they make camp together, settling into their familiar roles, Lana goes quiet. Ravio gives her concerned glances now and then, but for the most part remains silent themself. Sheerow, ever the early bird, fell asleep on Ravio’s pillow the moment they put it down.

Once everything is all set up, they reach the point where Lana would ordinarily light the fire, and they would settle down, talk, and eventually rest for the night. However, this time, she remains standing and stares at the tinder. 

"Lana?"

"I’m going to cast a guardian spell," she says without looking at them. "It’s going to be a little flashy, but it won’t hurt you."

"A guardian spell?" Ravio asks curiously, but Lana doesn’t answer.

Instead she starts reading from her grimoire, calling magic to do her bidding in ancient words. A bright magic circle appears below her feet and the campfire lights. Then, it grows, causing Ravio to back away slightly, though Lana only barely notices, consumed by the flow of the spell. The flames continue to rise, forming a bright pillar, and then turn sky blue. 

Lana shouts the final words of the spell, releasing it from her grasp, and the flames of the spell shoot out from the top of the pillar in ropes to cover their camp spot in a brilliant globe of fire. Once the ropes of fire the dirt, they form a circle of fire on the ground, too. The pillar drains into the ropes of fire, strengthening them and disappearing, and finally the globe begins to fade. Ravio shouts and gazes upward, awed. When the spell has run its course, the only sign of its passage are a circle faintly glowing blue around their camp and the campfire, now lit with an ordinary fire.

"Whoa," Ravio says. "You really are a sorceress…"

Lana sits down, not even winded by the spell. "Sorry I never told you what that meant," she says quietly. "I made magic my life’s work from a very young age, and excelled in it more than most people. And I say that as a girl born in a clan known for its magic."

"It’s okay," Ravio replies. "I knew you were hiding stuff, you know I’m hiding stuff. I guess I just always thought you specialized in battle magic but maybe weren’t so good at other kinds of spells, since you never really used them."

Lana shakes her head. "I knew basic battle magic, but I only started really learning it not too long ago."

"Why’s that?"

"The simplest answer is that I fought a war," says Lana.

Ravio doesn’t reply at first. Lana still can’t quite bring herself to look at them. 

"So… If you only started really getting into battle magic because of that, are you saying battle magic is actually your weakest form of magic?"

"Potions," Lana says, shaking her head. "I can’t make a good potion for my life. But other than that? I think so. I’m better at battle magic these days, so it’s hard to say."

"No wonder you keep your power a secret," says Ravio. "That was a really cool guardian spell - I’m guessing it’ll protect us overnight? - and you didn’t even blink to cast it. There’s a lot of people who would want to take advantage of you, or hate you, or fear you, or all kinds of things."

"And what about you?" asks Lana. She stares at the base of the campfire, digging her foot into the loose dirt in front of her. 

Ravio laughs. "Don’t be silly. I just think you’re great. I mean, I already thought that, but now I’m _really_ impressed! Magic bores me; I don’t get it at all. I just like my silly weapons and a good sword."

"And the fact that I was in a war doesn’t bother you?"

"Should it? Sure, I’m not big on fighting myself, but you don’t seem like the kind of person who fights for unimportant reasons. I would fight for important reasons, too."

"You sure?" Lana asks. She finally makes herself look at them. 

Ravio is smiling at her sweetly. "Completely! Just make sure to show off your magic now and then, okay? You know I’m a sucker for the cool flashy kind."

That, Lana knows, is completely true. Every time they found something especially magical, Ravio had played with it in excitement while Lana rolled her eyes and read a book or something. In particular they’d found a Fire Rod similar to the one Lana had seen Link wielding before, only this Fire Rod had a habit of forming flames that looked like lions. A little weak, but intimidating, and probably pretty good for one-on-one combat if not for tearing down hordes of goblins. Ravio had toyed with it for fun constantly right up until they sold it to particularly pompous retired knight of the realm. During the first few weeks of their companionship Ravio had never stopped showing awe at her battle magic, too. 

"What kind of stuff can you do?"

Lana considers showing Ravio how she can use her gates to send a miniature spider shooting lasers at them. She decides to do it some other day, when she’s really bored. The thought makes her smile impishly at Ravio. "You’ll see."

"I’m holding you to that! You have an idea, don’t you? I bet it’s good."

"I’m not gonna spoil the surprise."

"I know, I know! Let a bunny be excited, okay?"

As much as Lana wants to believe Ravio is sincere in their acceptance of her, it takes her a while longer to believe it. Ravio seems to be able to tell and they’re intent on subtly proving to her that it changes little about how they see her. Gradually, it works. Lana can feel herself relaxing into a more authentic cheeriness bit by bit. 

They’re only a short trek away from the cave on the map now, but night is falling and neither of them think, with Lana’s bad vibes about the whole ordeal, that being out in the open this night is a good idea. Now that they’re on the chilly plateaus surrounding Death Mountain trees are sparser as well, providing them with less natural cover. It’s still very strange to Lana that Death Mountain is cold rather than warm, but at least the barrenness is familiar. They set up camp and Lana casts her usual guardian spell. 

By this time Ravio is used to the spell and lies back with their hands behind their head, almost like they’re stargazing as the blue fire traced lines over their head. Lana smiles at the sight a little fondly. Her best friend is an oddball, alright, full of little quirks she discovers every day.

Before Lana falls asleep that evening, Ravio decides to say something silly to her. "By the way, you know the whole magic thing? You somehow pulled off turning down Princess Hilda. She’s _beautiful_. That’s much scarier."

They sound very serious about it and Lana laughs herself to sleep that night, oddly fond of this world and the very wonderful people she’s found in it. As an afterthought she wonders when Ravio saw the Princess, and resolves to ask them in the morning. 


	2. Wisdom

Lana wakes to Sheerow chattering in her ear. She frowns and swipes gently at the bird, causing it to flutter off.

"You’re awake?" Ravio says, quieter than usual. "You might wanna get up." Something in their voice bothers Lana. Ravio is worried, and they aren’t the kind of person who often gets that way. There’s something else too, but she has no time to think about it right now. Lana sits up and grabs her grimoire, her mouth set in a grim line. She glances at the faint magic line around their campsite. It’s fading, and will cease to protect them very soon.

"What’s going on?" says Lana. With a frown she sends a slight burst of magic at her guardian spell, and the circle flares up in response. It will hold for another few minutes.

"I think we’ve been caught in an ambush," they reply, equally grim. "Sheerow’s acting like we’re surrounded, and I think I agree. There aren’t any monsters or creatures anywhere. Maybe I’m just paranoid..."

"No, you’re not. We’ve both known something was off about this all along," says Lana.

"Sorry I convinced you to come," Ravio mumbles, a little miserable. They have a hand in the subtle lining of their outfit in the way Lana knows means they have their fingers on a sword or a staff or some other trick of theirs.

"It’s not your fault. Don’t worry, we’ll get out of this," Lana says with a small smile. "We’ll just have to work for it."

"What I wouldn’t give for a witch’s broomstick right now. I’ve never been _ambushed_ before," Ravio grumbles. "Any tips or ideas?"

"Just a few." It’s surreal to think that in matters of being ambushed by unknown enemies, Lana actually does have experience. "First, keep moving. Second, don’t let yourself get cornered. Let’s try not to get too close to that cavern if we can help it - we’ll have more room to maneuver if we can spring the trap before that. Third..." Lana frowns. "Do you think you can protect me long enough that I can cast a very powerful spell if the need arises? It could be important."

"Y-Yeah. I think so." Ravio turns away and frowns. "Lana, have I ever told you that I’m a coward?"

Lana is taken aback. "What do you mean? I’ve never known you to be a coward."

"It’s easier when I’m with somebody else," Ravio says. "I’m not very good on my own."

"I’m pretty sure that’s a load of cucco shit," Lana tells them. She puts her hands on her hips and stares them down. "I’ve seen you do a hundred amazing things and then some. You’re one of the funniest, most optimistic people I’ve ever met, and you grew up in a world without a Triforce," says Lana. "I _know_ you’re not a coward."

Ravio halfway squeaks. "Oh. O-okay." Then they tilt their head, bunny ears flopping aside. "Hold on, what was that about the Triforce?"

Lana’s magic spell goes to pieces with a crack and the two whirl around, back-to-back. From over the hills and down the nearby pathways suddenly streams of skeletons pour forth with their bones clacking. They’re accompanied by lightly armored humans acting as captains and more than one summoner can be seen at a distance controlling the skeletons.

The enemies stop in a careful circle five feet or so out from their campsite. Lana wonders what they are waiting for, but when a thin, pale wizard, thickly robed and wearing a jeweled band around their head steps out from the masses and looks her in the eye, she knows.

"Who are you?" she calls out, daring them to speak.

"None of your business. Are you Lana the Sorceress?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question."

The wizard smiles cruelly. "Yes, I do. Rabbit-child."

"I’m _her_ age, thanks," Ravio mutters. Only Lana can hear it and she stifles a smile.

"Flee now and we’ll let you go unharmed," says the wizard.

Ravio hesitates long enough to make Lana nervous, but their words strike her with their intensity when they do come. "No," they shout. "I won’t leave her!" She thinks she might kiss them.

"Kill them both," the wizard orders, and the skeletons move in.

She hears Ravio unsheathe a sword behind her as they yell and start slashing at creatures. Too soon she is focused in her own battle, charging forward with magic sparking at her fingertips. She moves swiftly into battle, blasting away, raising barriers, and ignoring the sharp cracks and rattles of broken bones. As she moves she tries to come in range of the nearest captain, hoping the skeletons will lose some of their basic direction with one of the people taken out.

Lana launches a spell at the man before her, and he steps quickly to the left to avoid her trail of magical lightning. She catches him with a barrier behind him, and with a toss of magical power, causes the barrier to shatter. The captain lurches forward and his forehead collides straight into Lana’s carefully placed elbow.

He drops instantly, out cold, and Lana doesn’t bother to watch him fall as the skeletons, enraged, swarm closer. Without pause she slashes at the onslaught and conjures an electric barrier in the distance, trying to clear a path towards one of the summoners. If she can bring them down, the monsters will be without a puppet master, too confused to pose as much of a threat.

As she builds up to another long-distance spell, the wizard steps into her path and blocks her barrier, crumbling it with one hand. She realizes their plan instantly: they intend to take her down themself while the skeletons are around her, keeping her confined.

Her anger blazes. This magician thinks they know what they are dealing with. They are wrong. Dead wrong.

The wizard begins to throw magic at her relentlessly. Their skills are full of no grace, only power collected in their hands and thrown at her, meant to batter her back into a corner. Lana forms magical shields again and again, pretending as though she has no skill with which to reflect it back on them. "Hey!" she calls out to Ravio. "We might need plan number three!"

"You’re going to die here, witch," the wizard hisses. "Down with you, and down with your princess!"

Lana doesn’t respond, focusing on her defensive capabilities and bottling up her fury as it boils. She can hear Ravio behind her, and the sound of their sword slicing through foes grows closer by the second.

When she thinks they are right behind her, Lana spins aside and launches a trio of low-power, high-speed blasts at the wizard, who finds themself knocked back several feet. Ravio steps into place where Lana was, pointing a gleaming sword at the wizard.

"Do it!" Ravio says.

Lana trusts them.

She reaches deep and starts incanting, keeping her awareness of the world as dim as she can afford to make it while Ravio protects her. As she runs through the ancient words she sees the battlefield distantly, as if through a dream. She is omnipresent in the feel of magic shining through her skin, the glow of Ravio’s blade with its magical shimmer and its beautiful emerald hilt, the wizard’s magic as they allow it to coalesce in a violent orb between their hands.

When Ravio stands just before her with many skeletons all around them, Lana ignores it.

When Ravio lifts their sword skyward and it begins to shine brighter, Lana notices.

When Ravio lowers it and spins it around in a technique she knows very, _very_ well, she is nearly jolted from the spell. It’s only through intense force of will that she maintains her focus.

Lana makes herself stop thinking of anything but the spell and its targets. The magic surges through her, almost ready to burst forth, but not yet, not yet.

Now.

She unleashes a storm of magical lightning bursts from above, each one targeting a specific enemy. The skeletons impacted by her storm break into pieces almost instantly. The humans are knocked to the ground, alive but wounded and burned. The wizard receives a larger blast than the rest of them, in the shape of a massive knife of pure, focused magic.

The power contained in that blast, Lana thinks with satisfaction, will have them unconscious for hours.

The battlefield is completely still as Lana kneels, catching her breath. The spell has taken a little bit out of her, but it’s not the main reason she needs to sit down. She closes her eyes, not quite sure if she’s willing to face her mid-spell realization, or see Ravio at all.

"Lana? Oh, goddesses - Lana, are you okay?"

She can _hear_ it in their voice now. She wonders how she missed it before - no, it makes sense. Lana has known for a long while now that Ravio puts up a front most of the time. Their voice, usually whimsical and insincere, is just part of that front.

But she can’t unhear it now. She grimaces, worrying Ravio further.

"Lana, I’m sorry, can I help? Please? Are you okay?"

"Stop," she whispers. She opens her eyes slowly, and the first thing she sees is their face, obscured as ever by the bunny suit. Her gaze trails down to the sword in their hand.

The blade's form is a little different, perhaps, and the hilt is green rather than purple. But with this closer look, Lana knows what she’s looking at.

The Master Sword of Lorule: a weapon to be carried by the hero clothed in violet.

Oh, she’s such a fool.

Lana rises shakily to her feet, unable to hear Ravio’s voice or look at their face. Her eyes are fixed on the sword. She takes a step back, fruitlessly trying to put some distance between them.

Zelda and Hilda were bad enough, but all she wanted out of her life after leaving Hyrule was not to fall damnably in love with another _Link_.

It’s too much for her. She looks up at Ravio again and sees anew the shape of their chin and the concern on their face and she wonders if she was in denial or just incapable of seeing the obvious.

Exhaustion overwhelms her and tugs her into the shadows. Somewhere she is crying out in pain and she faints to escape her own screams and she is thankful.

Lana wakes suddenly, but recognition and memories come slowly to her. She looks around and finds that she is in a cavern with a beautiful fairy fountain at its center, peaceful and serene. Her grimoire is to her right, where she always leaves it before sleep, just in reach.

Off in a corner she spots their things. The two of them travel fairly light, but many of their items have been broken, trampled on by their foes. Lana crawls over and lifts a lantern, sighing at the large section where the glass has been cracked and lies in pieces within the lantern.

When she sees Ravio she swallows hard past a lump in her throat.

Part of her knows it’s not rational, and Ravio definitely isn’t the same as Link, but how else is she supposed to react? One day she fell deeply in love with the hero of Hyrule and the next she was cast out from herself, hardly even a person in her own right, and then after that she’d witnessed herself tearing the world down just to have them. By that point she’d long recognized Cia’s "love" as more obsession than anything else but her own love for them still burned true. She was responsible at least in part for Cia’s sins.

Seeing Ravio now, she aches. They’re asleep, snoozing away quietly, slightly curled up as usual with Sheerow resting on the nearest pillow. Gazing upon them like this feels wrong. How many times did she gaze upon Link through a dimensional window without them knowing? Is this any different? Perhaps a little, because heartbreak still ravages her emotions and her affection for Ravio is certainly different to what she felt when she gazed at Link.

Different, but not less powerful, and probably no less risky.

She shuts her eyes.

Lana starts collecting her things, including the broken ones, from the pile of stuff, and quietly packs them. She expects no more trouble from that wizard, at least not for a while. She wonders what their motive might have been.

They had cursed her and the princess - maybe it had something to do with Hilda? Perhaps that was it. One of Hilda’s enemies had decided to go after the foreign sorceress who had come by the castle to fight in her name - or perhaps it was the Princess’ grief at the death of a friend that they wanted. Either way, Lana thinks it was probably more about Hilda than her. It isn’t a relieving thought, but it’s nice to have an explanation. She’ll be warier in the future.

It’s only when she is already all packed to set out on her own that she stops, looks at Ravio again, and holds her face in her hands.

She promised she wouldn’t leave them. Maybe under very different circumstances, but it's still true. And she doesn’t want to leave. How long ago was she quietly fantasizing of a life with them? How much had she wanted to turn around and kiss them soundly when only moments after declaring themself a coward they’d stared a wizard down and swore to fight with her?

But if she stays, won't she just be inviting more pain? Or worse?

Paralyzed with indecision, Lana sits down again, feeling wretched.

Lana hears a flutter nearby and lifts her hands from her face. Little fairies float around her, looking concerned.

"I’m alright," she assures them. "I mean, I’m not injured."

A couple of the fairies seem to understand and float back towards the fountain. One of them looks at her mistrustfully and lands on her knee, sitting down and making itself comfortable. Lana has the funny sense that it has no intention of letting her go.

"Fairy magic can’t solve this problem for me, sorry," she murmurs. "Please don’t try on my behalf."

The fairy flutters off her knee, pokes her nose, and lands on her shoulder instead. Lana resigns herself to having a fairy acting overly protective of her for a short while.

She sits there for a little while, watching the sparkles that float off the fairy’s wings with every small flutter. They’re soothing to watch and somewhat quell her urge to flee.

If she’s going to leave, she at least owes Ravio an explanation. And there’s always the chance - the very very tiny hope - that she might be able to stay.

Lana doesn’t know when, but at some point she must have closed her eyes and dozed halfway off. She opens her eyes when she hears Sheerow’s trilling.

"I’m awake, I’m awake, you silly bird!" says Ravio. "Sheesh!"

Sheerow has landed on Ravio’s stomach and started tugging at their scarf. Ravio tries to tug it back from Sheerow but instead pulls the scarf forward and the bird with it. Sheerow lands in their face, squawking and flapping, and Ravio gives a muffled shout.

She’s in no mood to laugh at the sight but Lana can’t help but smile a little. It’s not the first time she’s seen them be silly like this.

Huffing, Ravio composes themself, tugging their costume back into place and bouncing to their feet. They turn to Lana and jump a little, seeing that she’s awake. "Lana! You’re okay?"

"Yeah, I’m fine," she says softly. She doesn’t bother trying to fake a good mood. "The spell didn’t take much out of me."

"What happened then?" says Ravio. They look over at her things, all neatly packed. "What’s going on?"

"I… I don’t know where to start," Lana murmurs.

Ravio shuffles over and flops down on the ground in front of Lana. She thinks they might be peering at her with worry, but it’s only a guess. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Maybe." Lana rubs her forehead. "Can you tell me where we are, and how we got here?"

"We’re at a fairy fountain not far from where they ambushed us," says Ravio. "I had a little suspicion and sought out that cave on the map. That’s where we are. I think the map was probably copied from one of Beatrise’s maps, then altered a little and forged to back us into a corner. They were specifically targeting us. I mean, you."

"That adds up with what the wizard said," Lana considers. "It sounded like they wanted me dead because I have influence with Princess Hilda. How did we get here, then? And do you know what happened to that wizard’s army?"

"They cleared out a while ago, I looked. I don’t think they’ll be coming back." Ravio grins. "You really got ‘em. Anyway, I found the fairies here and asked them for help carrying stuff. A little court of fairies helped me bring you and everything inside. They sealed the door and we’ve been camping out since."

Lana turns to look at the fairy which has decided to sit on her shoulder. "Thank you," she says to it. The fairy, which seems to have napped with her, opens a sleepy eye, tilts its head in acknowledgement, and goes back to dozing.

"So..." Ravio tilts their head back and forth. "Something else happened, huh?" They pause, and slowly reach into their outfit and pull out the Master Sword, holding it sideways so as to give her a clear view of the hilt. "Did it have something to do with this sword?"

Lana swallows and looks away. "I… Indirectly. I recognized it when I got a closer look, and it clarified things."

"If you know this sword, does that mean you’re from Hyrule?" Ravio asks, unusually blunt. Lana flinches slightly. "Sorry, sorry," they say quickly, dropping the sword to land on their legs in order to wave their hands at her in assurance. "I just - I know something’s wrong and you’re hurting but I don’t know why, and I’m sorry, Lana."

"I know," she says. "I’m..." She takes a deep breath. "Can I tell you a story, Ravio? A definitely untrue story that is absolutely fictional and certainly not actually about me?"

"Well, I do love stories," Ravio half-jokes. They give her a small smile. "Go for it."

"Once upon a time, in a very distant land, there was a powerful sorceress," Lana begins. "She was often kind, but also very ambitious, and she loved all magic. She learned it and learned it, teaching herself more and more advanced spells, even some of the trickiest ones: those used for dimensional travel and peeking through dimensional windows. One day, while peeking through those windows, before she had mastered travel, she saw a youth wearing green…

"She watched them, many versions of them, and fell in love with them," Lana says quietly. Ravio doesn’t say anything, but they briefly look down at the Master Sword. "But it was more than just love. It grew into an obsession, and part of her wanted to possess this hero’s very soul. It was an evil instinct and she knew it, so she locked the feelings away. But an evil power saw it in her and released that darkness. It consumed her, but that darkness wasn’t satisfied with merely controlling the good in her.

“So the sorceress became split in two: one version of her was - to oversimplify the matter - the ‘bad’ side, full of all those possessive thoughts. The other version of her was ‘good’ and loved the hero, but wouldn’t go to the extreme measures the other version would.

"Once the ‘bad’ version had successfully kicked out the ‘good’ version, she began to desire the Triforce, in addition to the hero. With it she knew she could grant herself the wish of possessing the hero’s soul. She began to wage war against Hyrule - one of many that exist - in order to obtain it. The ‘good’ version of this sorceress went to Hyrule to fight her by helping people who were in danger. In the process, she caught the attention of Hyrule’s finest warriors, including the hero, the Princess’ guardian, and another.

“She fought in most of the war with them. In the end, in order to save Hyrule, the ‘bad’ version of the sorceress had to die. Though she had done and intended to do terrible things, going so far as to use her very soul in pursuit of her goals, the ‘good’ version of the sorceress couldn’t help but mourn her, feeling part of herself was lost forever, but she could never condone the ‘bad’ version’s actions, either. When it was all over, she briefly left Hyrule.

"There was another shorter war which started only a week after that one, and she returned to fight for Hyrule then, too. She discovered during that time that not only had she fallen deeper for the hero by fighting at their side but she had also begun to care for the Princess and the Princess’ beloved guardian, too. All three of them had been wronged horribly and personally by the actions of the ‘bad’ version of the sorceress, and though they clearly liked her, she still felt horribly out of place, and she was scared. At the end of the war the remaining version of the sorceress left that Hyrule for a dimension she’d never seen before, hoping she would never have to deal with the hero or their companions again.

"Except… It turned out she couldn’t escape them completely. She didn’t find them exactly, but she met their mirror images, and…" Lana trails off, hoping Ravio will understand her meaning. She falls silent.

Ravio briefly tilts their head at her, and then tenses slightly and looks down. They take the Master Sword and set it aside for the moment, out of the way. Lana watches them, numb with fright, but somewhat relieved to have it all out in the open.

They look back up at her and then slowly take off their bunny hood with both hands. Link’s face stares out at her below deep purple hair, and their face is serious and intense, stopping her cold. Then Ravio smiles sadly at her (not a very Link thing to do) and reaches out for her, pulling her into a hug. It catches her off guard completely, and she freezes straight through, nearly forgetting to breathe.

Slowly, Lana thaws out and she begins to hug them back. She presses her nose into their clothing and throws her arms around their neck, soaking in the warmth.

"I’m so sorry you had to go through all that," Ravio says to her. That’s their first concern: her. Not her feelings, not her mistakes, just the pain she’s had to go through. Maybe the details are up in the air, but they still care first and foremost about her. Lana begins to sob before she knows it, starting to soak their costume with the tears she’s been unable to shed since Cia died.

She’s not sure if she feels loved, exactly, but she feels accepted and cared for, and that’s more than she could possibly ask. It’s more than she expected out of anywhere, or anyone, never mind the harsh land of Lorule and its offbeat hero. She’d thought she would have to pick up her own pieces, maybe because nobody else would.

At some point Ravio must have started rubbing her back soothingly, Lana notices, starting to calm down. Her eyes still feel watery and her throat is tight, but the choking feeling is gone. She opens her eyes halfway, giving them a moment to focus.

The fairies have gathered, glittering in a circle around them, watching with curiosity and happiness. When they realize she has noticed them, they all speed away, giggling, leaving only one - probably the same one that had been on her shoulder, Lana thinks, because it stubbornly refuses to look away or move.

She carefully unpeels herself from Ravio’s grasp, wiping at her eyes. "I think I needed that," she says in a tired, croaking voice. Lana gives them a mostly genuine smile. "Thank you."

Ravio shrugs. "Least I could do," they tell her. "Anything else aside, I’d be a miserable friend if I didn’t at least offer a comfy shoulder. Besides, it gave me a chance to sort my thoughts out."

Lana wrings her hands a little nervously. "What kind of thoughts?"

"That might take a bit of explanation," they say, flustered, too. Their embarrassed expression is outright adorable. "Did Her Royal Highness tell you anything about Lorule and Hyrule?"

Lana frowns. "Yes… How did you know?"

"You slipped up on common knowledge," Ravio points out. "You said I’d grown up in a world without a Triforce, and kinda implied that we have one now. Both of those facts are technically big kingdom secrets."

"If you know them too," Lana realizes, "then you must know Princess Hilda. And of course you do - you’re - you’re the hero of her land, right?" She remembers their earlier comment about Hilda’s beauty and feels very, very foolish.

Ravio shakes their head. The bunny hood flops behind them, making for a funny sight. "I do know Princess Hilda, but you’ve kind of got it backwards. I’ve worked on and off in the palace since I was very young, just a scared kid. The Princess and I were friends: she thought I was funny, I thought she was perfect. But then her advisor Yuga started whispering in her ear. When I realized she had become obsessed with Hyrule’s Triforce, I betrayed her. I left the palace and escaped to Hyrule, hiding myself in a bunny outfit."

"Why a bunny outfit?" Lana asks. She’s been wondering for _ages_ and now finally she might get her answer.

The question makes Ravio smile. "I was looking for something to cover my face. Purple was my favorite color, it looked kinda creepy, and I’ve always been really fond of rabbits. It suited me - uh, pun not intended. Now I just like wearing it, though it has a side benefit of keeping me from being recognized by people from the palace."

Lana rolls her eyes and waves at them to continue the story.

So they do. "I knew I couldn’t face her or Yuga myself, but I was able to track down Link and help them along their way. When Link stopped Yuga, I stepped in and begged her to stop, before she brought down Hyrule just like Lorule. I knew she cared a lot about the people of Lorule, but I knew if Hyrule was the price to pay for Lorule’s happiness, it would be terrible, and she would come to hate herself in the end. She heard me out and stopped. Then we sent Link and Zelda home, and they sent us our Triforce made whole again. And we all lived happily ever after."

More pieces come together for Lana in flashes of insight. "You found the Master Sword at that grove we went to when we first met, didn’t you? And all those times you slipped away, were you going to see Princess Hilda?"

"Right on both accounts," says Ravio. They duck their head. "Actually… Up until I got the Master Sword, I thought I was a failed hero at best. I was clever enough to get my world some help, but not brave enough to defend it myself. But the Master Sword… Well, let’s just say that before all this I had thought of my rabbit costume as being more ‘purple’ than the mythical ‘violet’ from the stories. And yep, I was reporting to Princess Hilda."

"Reporting? I thought you were friends...?"

Ravio makes the embarrassed face again. "It's... complicated. Really, really complicated."

"What were you reporting?" Lana asks, trying to puzzle out Ravio’s words. "...Did you tell her about me?"

"...Yeah, nothing too personal or anything, but… I might have mentioned this incredible girl I’d met and joined up with a few times. Every time, really. I wasn’t surprised when the Princess invited you back to get to know you better." Ravio averts their gaze, turning a little bit red. "Had a funny feeling she was going to do that."

Lana isn’t entirely sure how to start unpacking what Ravio’s just said. They may or may not have implied three things at once, all capable of making her head spin.

"None of that’s really important right now though," says Ravio. They look back at her, smiling a little, and take each of her hands into their own, holding them tight. "Thank you for telling me everything. If you… If you still want to leave, I wouldn’t blame you. It can’t be easy just to be here right now… I probably would have bolted a while ago.” Lana thinks that Ravio really needs to stop underestimating themself. “But if you go, that’s okay. Just know that you can always come back." Ravio pauses and then shakes their head. "No, I mean that I _want_ you to come back, when you can. And I think Princess Hilda would feel the same."

Their meaning is clear enough to Lana now and her belly does a backflip. It’s not just Princess Hilda who wants a relationship with her. It’s the Hero of Lorule - it’s _Ravio_ , this Ravio who has become a dear friend when she needed one most.

Lana looks down as her breath catches. The emotions swirling around her are too mixed and cluttered to tell apart except that they’re overwhelming. She squeezes Ravio’s hands, and slowly gets to her feet, pulling them up with her. She lets them go, and thinks she might know what she needs to do now.

"I won’t leave you alone," she tells them. She reaches up and unclips the red feathers from her hairpiece. Lana smiles at Ravio, who looks curious at her actions. She closes her eyes and starts whispering secrets, waving a hand around the feathers. They begin to glow with a light she can see even through her closed eyes.

Finally, she takes a deep breath and blows on them, sending magic spiraling into the air and completing the spell. The magic in the air dies down, and she opens her eyes again. The feathers are still glowing in the aftermath of the magic, and the edges have turned yellow, causing them to look almost like flames.

"Take this." She holds the clip out towards Ravio. They lift it gently out of her hands, staring at it in silent awe. "If you need my help, or if I’m not back within a couple weeks, blow on it like I did. I’ll come to you."

"You’ll be back?" Ravio asks.

"Yes," she says. "I don’t know what will happen then, Ravio, but I’ll definitely be back. If you see Princess Hilda, please tell her that, too."

Ravio stares at her for another long moment, and then nods their head rapidly in understanding. "Of course I will," they say. "I should let her know about Abdias and their friends, anyway."

"What?"

"Abdias? Oh, right, I forgot. That’s the name of the wizard who ambushed us. Hilda needs to know that they’ve gotten violent enough to attack any threats," Ravio says grimly. "We already knew they were scummy, but attempted murder is new."

Something about that name bothers Lana, but she can’t put her finger on it. Perhaps she heard it when she visited Princess Hilda, she thinks.  

"Be careful," Lana says. "Abdias knows you defended me in your costume."

"Then I’ll be the stealthiest bunny you ever knew," says Ravio, their eyes mischievous again. "Don’t worry a thing. Take your time, relax, see the sights. We’ll be waiting."

Lana smiles at them; it amazes her that they can always pull one out of her even at the oddest of times. She hesitates for a moment, but leans forward and presses a quick kiss to their cheek. Then she reaches up around them, drawing their hood back down to cover their face.

"See you later," she says.

"Yep. See you later."

Lana turns around and swiftly goes into action. By now she’s familiar enough with the spells that it takes her hardly any effort to build her gate. Lana stands by her items with the magic charged up in one hand, ready to act by her command.

The little fairy from earlier floats over and sits atop the broken lantern, gazing up at her with the condescending expression Lana has realized is its favorite.

"Are you sure?" she asks it. "You won’t be able to see your friends for a long while." When the fairy huffs and crosses its arms, Lana shrugs. "Stick close. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."

Lana flips her hand and the magic crashes to the ground, then spreads to form a gate leading to an amber sky. It spreads to envelop Lana herself and the fairy nearby in a soft glow.

Just before she slips through, Lana looks up. Ravio, who has picked up the Master Sword in one hand, is watching her go. With their free hand, they give a little wave. Sheerow flutters over their head, very excitable.

And then Lana is somewhere else.

The fairy looks around in shock, awed by the sight before it.

"Bet you weren’t expecting that, huh?" Lana says. She gives the little fairy a hooked smile and casts her arm around, sweeping her cape dramatically along with it. "Welcome to the land of Twilight."

This place is steeped in eeriness, but Lana has found something soothing in eeriness these days. This section of the twilight world is lonely and unpopulated, full of only abandoned roads. A remnant of Zant’s vicious if temporary rule, perhaps. Serenity covers it in silence, and not a hint of life can be heard.

Full of fractured emotions and tangled thoughts, Lana picks up her things and sets off walking, wondering if, no, when Midna will take notice that someone other than one of the Twili has entered her domain, and not a lost soul, at that. The fairy stops sitting on the broken lantern and starts carrying it, tugging it along awkwardly but easily as it floats a step behind. Lana wonders why it seems to have adopted her.

Lana walks for a long while. When she tires, she rests, kicking her legs over the edge of a bridge and watching the sky shimmer darkly. When she gets hungry, she makes herself some food, and shares little bits with the fairy. The sky doesn’t change, and Lana loses track of time, lost in the haunting peace of the world around her and the thoughts she keeps going over and over again.

Eventually, she feels the lure of sleep. She sets up a bedspread in the corner formed by two walls. She invites the fairy over to rest with her, and it graciously accepts, curling up in the warmth of Lana’s hands.

Before, she sleeps, she breathes in and out, and feels the magic around her. Distantly, she feels a warm fuzziness she knows to be the feathers in Ravio’s care.

A petal of the blossom of fear in her heart withers and falls away. It won’t be like with Link, she thinks. There’s no evil here to split me again. They and I know each other - and there’s Hilda, too. And they care for her in return. They might even love her in return.

Lana doesn’t believe it yet, and the idea of hope is still a distant dream, but she feels as if she’s accomplished… something. Some kind of first step.

She presses a hand to her mouth and blows a kiss, imbuing the action with a hint of magic. Somewhere, far far away, a pair of flame-like feathers grow briefly warm.

Lana falls asleep with Ravio’s face, serious and open, fixed in her mind.

At first she thinks she is dreaming: there is a vision of a beautiful cloaked Twili woman she thinks she’s met before, hazy in front of her eyes. As she blinks, she slowly comes to realize she was asleep, and she is now awake, and the woman in front of her is smiling wide, brimming with mildly malicious amusement. Lana scrambles to sit up.

"Hi, Lana," she says. "Here on business? Or are you on vacation? Oh, don’t look at me like that. If some Hyrule or another’s on the verge of perilous destruction and I’m needed to prevent it, I’d rather know up front, you get me?"

Lana stares at her in confusion until the pieces click together. Midna had said that Cia had cursed her into that imp-like form from before - this must be her usual self. Who knew? Realizing this, Lana shakes her head, smiles, and feels a little more awake. "Just a nice vacation," she says, borrowing Midna’s own words. "No immediate danger that I know of. I just needed to get away for a while. Hope you don’t mind."

"For a being from the light world, you have a funny idea of what kind of place constitutes a nice vacation." Midna shrugs elegantly. "Go ahead and wander wherever you want. No harm will be done to you so long as you do none yourself. What are you getting away from?"

"Heart troubles," Lana says, because it’s the most succinct way she can think to put it.

"Oh, I see. Say no more: I’m miserable at the mushy stuff. Go find another friend if you’re looking for that." Midna gives Lana a toothy grin. "Shall I leave you to it, then?"

"Thank you, Midna. It’s been nice to see you."

"Of course. Come by for tea some time. You light-worlders are great sources of entertainment."

On that note Midna winks at Lana, backs away, and glides swiftly into a portal.

Lana is left alone in the twilight again. She pulls her knees in close and stares at the horizon, thinking about friends.

When the fairy wakes a while later, Lana waves it over and invites it to sit on her shoulder. She picks up her things and carries on.

With each step she thinks she feels lighter. It’s not as though this little journey is healing her, exactly. It’s more like it’s helping her to realize she’s spent every day since she came to Lorule and met Ravio being slowly healed, but she didn’t know it. She picks apart her feelings for Link and her feelings for Ravio and separates them out bit by bit.

Memories of gazing at Link, of Link slowly discovering her, being wary of her, being amazed at her, feel strange when looked at anew. She confronts, for the first time, the fact that there _could_ have been something there, in that Hyrule. Whatever there was between Link and Zelda, it was only complementary to what Zelda and Impa already seemed to have. Lana had caught Zelda flirting sweetly, so quick and little that you hardly believed it was there, with Link and Impa as well as herself. Impa had been indifferent to her at first, and she to Impa, but they had warmed to each other and Lana still remembers the ferocity with which Impa fought for her when Ganondorf showed up. And as for Link… It had taken them until Cia’s death to really notice her. But they _had_ noticed her.

There might have been a place for her in that Hyrule. But she fled. It’s not something she regrets, surprisingly, but it was an opportunity that she gave up. Acknowledging the loss of that possible future hurts sharply.

Yet, the uncertainty of that lost chance highlights the comfort of the future before her now. It’s easy for Lana to imagine a life in Lorule, because she already seems to have stumbled and picked one up along the way. She knows its denizens and her place among them - Lana the Sorceress, adventurer, occasional do-gooder, companion of Ravio and friend of the Princess. The only people who would know of her past would be those most affected by it, who deserved to know.

She hasn’t done much study of magic in recent days, for slight fear, perhaps, of her own power. Knowing the horrors Cia was capable of once she’d dipped into magic she shouldn’t have was a brief deterrent. But Lana can feel the urge to learn and wield power, just because she can, coming back to her. She knows nothing of the witchcraft of Lorule. Maybe it’s time for her to seek a witch out and offer a trade of spells.

It seems as though if she’s strong enough she can simply reach out and take this wonderful future in Lorule and make it her own.

She doesn’t feel strong enough, but she’s getting there.

Sleepiness starts to drag at her, so Lana finds another quiet corner like the one from the previous night and settles down in a similar fashion. As she did the night before she listens for the warmth of the feathers she gave to Ravio, and warms them, thinking, "good night." Hilda haunts her dreams with deep longing in her eyes and a hand on Lana’s cheek.

This time, when she wakes up, the fairy wakes up with her. Its stubborn expression has worn off with a couple days of companionship. Now, it floats serenely, still protective, but less fierce about it. Perhaps it thinks she’s less likely to walk directly into a wall or something.

Lana’s little march continues, and today she feels afraid.

Things could not work out with Hilda and Ravio. It seems unlikely to her, which is probably a rash judgement to make, but it’s a judgement she believes in nevertheless. Though she and Hilda have met very little, their bond feels strong already, and Lana already knows she and Ravio get on very well. Still, the possibility exists. It wouldn’t leave her hopeless or lost, but it would hurt. She would go visit Beatrise and find a new path to take, maybe. She doesn’t think she would leave Lorule. The land has grown on her and it is perilously close to becoming something like home.

That fear vibrates on the edge of her thoughts. But it’s not a very large fear. Fear of uncertainty and loss is omnipresent, and she’s used to its company.

The more consuming fear is the one of herself. Of her own love and the place it could lead her. She loves Ravio. Not as fully as she might tomorrow or the days after that, but to call it anything else would be misrepresenting the place she knows this feeling will - not could - lead. Lana also knows she could come to love Hilda. She was struck by her from the start in every way possible, captivated by her dark grace in both body and soul. More so than anyone Lana has ever met, Lana thinks Hilda could match her passion in love.

But can she let herself love that way again? Lana knows herself; she knows she falls deeply, constantly, suddenly, fiercely. She fears what happens if once again that feeling goes too far. Will a demon split her in two again? Or could she simply hurt her partners on her own? The fear is almost certainly irrational. She would never have done anything Cia had attempted, before their split or after.

But it still chills her, this terrible awareness of what she could be.

How can she possibly fight this?

As Lana starts to feel weariness tug on her bones, she looks out ahead of her. In the distance she thinks she sees people moving, just wisps of shadow changing place at the edge of her sight. The Twili must dwell there, she thinks. Maybe it’s time to leave the twilight for some place else.

Not tonight though. Tonight Lana repeats her little routine. When she blows a kiss at the feathers, the fairy watches her with a tiny knowing smile. She briefly sticks her tongue out at it. "Why did you come along if you’re just going to tease me about my messy love life?" she asks the fairy.

Rather than acknowledge her question, it floats over to her hand and lies down, blinking up at her sleepily.

She dreams this time of the final battle.

Hyrule Castle is burning and lightning strikes sizzle and crack, striking the ground, and if Lana hadn’t been there herself only days ago she might not have recognized it for anything but a realm of demons. The air above is full of smoke and she’s only glad it isn’t low enough to make breathing difficult. But she can still smell everything burning.

The great beast Ganon lies ahead of her with one of its tusks chipped off and a gauntlet removed but it seems as though he hasn’t even noticed. It charges forward at Ruto, who nimbly but only barely darts away from its stampede. Lana wants to go help but she has to blast her away across skeletons first. They impede her movement and frustrate her, because all she can do is throw magic at them, hope the swarm stops, and watch Darunia throw bombs at Ganon from the corner of her eye.

Everything feels hopeless. How can they hope to fight a beast like this? How could she let this power fall into Ganondorf’s hands?

Finally the hordes start to lighten, freeing her movement towards the others. She sees Fi skate by and realizes that it’s because of Fi’s help that she was able to break through. She smiles at Fi as they push through towards Ganon together. She thinks she catches Fi smile back, but with the way she spins across the battlefield, it’s hard to tell.

As they approach she suddenly feels Zelda’s magic flood the field. It envelops her in a golden light. She looks over to Fi and finds that Fi is glowing too. The glow fades, but as her gaze sweeps the field, she realizes all of them were glowing brightly for a moment. The magic lingers.

She takes out her bow. She sees Link fire the first shot. Then Midna, then Impa, then Agitha. Ganon begins to balk and flinch with each brilliant shot of light arrows. None of them - not one of them - are fighting alone.

This isn’t exactly how it went, but it’s close enough.

Smiling widely, filled with magic and hope again, Lana steps up to take her turn. She pulls back the bowstring and fires a direct shot of light between Ganon’s eyes.

Lana wakes up, her mind buzzing with the thrill of her memory-dream.

Whoever said, she thinks to herself, that she had to deal with the aftermath of everything with Cia all on her own? No one but her. She’s made more friends than she’s ever had before and she’s certain they would all be willing to help her through this. Even Ravio and Hilda have demonstrated that they’re willing to help her through her troubles.

Her gaze falls upon the fairy, who has relocated to the broken lantern, and remains curled up, sound asleep. It has carefully brushed the shards of glass aside. Maybe Lana had been moving around in her sleep, during the nightmarish part of her dream, forcing it to move. Lana realizes rapidly that throughout her wanderings in the twilight she hasn’t felt very alone or lonely, and this fairy has been responsible for a large part of that.

She’s still healing. Maybe she’ll always be healing. But there are people who care about her who would want to help her through this, if she asked them, if she let them. Enough battling alone, Lana thinks. She knows what she wants, and what she wants is to go back to Lorule, sweep Ravio up in her arms, and ask them if they mind taking things slow.

In the meantime, she’ll make plans - not right away, maybe, but soon enough - to take Midna up on that suggestion of tea. Sometime soon she’ll go visit the Zoras and the Gorons, she’ll meet Agitha in Kakariko Village properly, and perhaps she’ll pay a sneaky visit to the Skyloft, even if Fi won’t necessarily be there to greet her. Someday later, maybe she’ll stop by the Hyrule she ran away from, too.

Come to think of it, all her friends might like to visit each other, too, or at least stay in contact somehow. Lana wonders if there’s any way to magically connect items between one dimension in another so that even those without great command of magic could communicate. It would require somehow infusing powerful dimensional magic into some very low-grade speaking spells… Oh, there it is. She’s found her next research project. Now she _knows_ she’s doing better, if the thought of more research brings back a familiar glee instead of fright.

The fairy is still asleep and she doesn’t want to disturb its rest. With all the tiny things this fairy has done for her, it’s the least she can do. To pass the time, she unclips her necklace and peers at the communication enchantments currently dormant within it, memorizing their patterns and structure. No time to start like the present, even if the real work should wait until later, with more resources at hand.

Lana ends up absorbed enough in thoughts of magic that the fairy has to fly right behind the pendant to catch her attention. She snatches it back and puts it on again. "Sorry," she says. "I hope I didn’t bother you too much in my sleep."

The fairy looks pleased that it has finally caught her attention. Content with that, it goes back to the lantern, sitting on top of it rather than inside. It looks at Lana expectantly, and Lana doesn’t disappoint.

"Now that you’re awake, we’re going to leave the land of Twilight," Lana says matter of factly. She’s never been quite sure how much the fairy understands, but it can’t hurt to explain anyway. "I have a quick stop to make, but then, I’m planning on going home. I’ll drop you off back at your fairy fountain and then go find my friends. How does that sound?"

The little fairy nods. Satisfied, it flutters over to her shoulder and lands there, taking up its favorite spot again (and slightly tickling Lana’s shoulder; unlike Sheerow, it seems to favor the shoulder not covered by her cloak).

Lana takes a deep breath and concentrates. One of the tricks of dimensional magic, she’s found with practice, is that reaching a specific dimension, if you have some connection to it or understanding of it, is very easy. Reaching a specific place, however, can sometimes be harder if it’s not home to a locus of magic, a magically powerful being, or something to which she’s directly magically tied. When she stepped through to the land of Twilight, there was almost no telling where she was going to end up. Landing in Hyrule Castle will be trickier than appearing in Lanayru Gorge. Lana puts her focus into it, bearing down.

The gate opens before her upon the view she wants to see. Lana breathes out in relief, and then in again to steel her nerves.

She walks through.

It’s a sunny day in Hyrule and over the parapet Lana can see trainee soldiers learning the tricks of their trade. At the head of the courtyard, Link is demonstrating an effective way of keeping large amounts of enemies at bay; Lana notices that it looks remarkably similar to one of Impa’s favorite tricks with her naginata. Princess Zelda and Impa are in a balcony overseeing the courtyard, talking softly as they oversee the scene below. Lana can’t see below their waists but suspects they are holding hands in quiet companionship, as she caught them doing exactly once before.

Princess Zelda looks up and catches her eye. She smiles and gently nudges Impa, who also looks over, sees Lana, and grins widely. Cautiously, Lana raises a hand in a short little wave, giving them a small smile back.

It doesn’t take long for Link to catch on to the commotion, and they stop in the middle of the demonstration, innocently wide-eyed, to follow Impa and Zelda’s gaze.

Their eyes meet hers with clear surprise. Then their face fades into a serious question, and they watch her, waiting for an answer.

She keeps smiling with less effort than she had thought it might take and extends the wave to them too, hoping they’ll understand it as a "see you later" wave more than a "farewell" kind of thing.

Lana steps back through the gate on shaky legs. It snaps shut behind her, and she closes her eyes, retrieving her composure from wherever she’d just lost it.

The fairy leaves her shoulder and peers into her face with concern. "I’m fine," Lana says. "I’m going to be fine," she corrects herself. "I just need a moment-"

Her breath catches on heat and she swallows back a gasp. It’s not painful, but it’s startling and worrisome: it’s only been a few days and Ravio has just blown on her feathers, calling her to them. Something is most likely very wrong.


	3. Power

Before the fire in Lana's throat fades she grabs a hold of the feeling and starts shaping another gate, snapping it into place as quick as she possibly can. But as she tries to pry open the other side, it goes sour: a very powerful curse somewhere near Ravio’s location shoves back, creating a magical backlash. Lana barely has time to react, reeling her magic back in as fast as she can to create a shield against the foreign power. She clenches her teeth and holds, refusing to back down. 

Without an outlet the magic of the dimensional gate builds, possibly on the verge of explosion. As the backlash fades Lana reaches out and tries again, this time avoiding the foreign magic where it stands in her way. Finally she finds a place nearby that isn’t sealed off by the foreign magic and she directs the dimensional gate to connect to that place just in time to prevent something on the scale of a minor explosion.

Lana hears ringing in her ears and for a few seconds she is completely unaware of the world except for the ringing. Slowly she comes back to her senses. At some point she must have fallen to her knees. The fairy is floating about her with dismay. 

"I’m okay," she says the moment she’s completed a self-check to make sure of it. She coughs out a puff of magical smoke, shakes her head, and gets to her feet. "I was dealing with three different kinds of complicated magic all at once. Don’t worry. I’ve been hit with far worse. I was taken off guard."

Grimacing, Lana looks into the gate before her. It was able to open somewhere by the northeast corner of Lorule Castle. She now sees the source of the foreign magic: a shadowy barrier, glimmering dangerously with undertones of rainbow colors, covers the castle and seals it off from the world around it. 

"Come out and come quietly," someone commands viciously past the gate. It takes Lana a second to place the voice as Hilda’s, but when she does, it only confuses her more as to the state of the castle. Still grim, she cautiously obey’s Hilda’s command, coming forth through the gate with the fairy following behind her. She holds a spell in her mind at the ready, just in case.

Once the fairy follows her back into Lorule she allows the gate to the Twilight realm snap shut behind her. As it does, Hilda snaps forward, holding her staff at Lana’s throat.

"Lana!" Hilda says, recognizing her with delighted surprise. "But how…?" Her tone shifts, questioning, then more serious. "Tell me you aren’t involved in this," she demands. 

Lana forces herself to look Hilda in the eye. "I’m not involved in this," she says. "I gave Ravio something to call me with if they ran into trouble. They called. I came. I tried to go inside the castle, but I was repelled."

Hilda stares her down assessingly for a moment, her eyes wild with anger. Then she removes her staff from its place at Lana’s throat, shifting rapidly from harsh ferocity to flawless royal poise. "I see. That make sense. I’m sorry about the questioning and mistrust."

"Don’t be, Your Highness," Lana says, relaxing. "Clearly there’s some kind of threat to your kingdom. You have every right to ensure that I’m not that threat."

"I didn’t know you had command of portal magic," Hilda remarks casually, as though they’re having a conversation over tea again. She leans against her staff thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should have expected that from one who calls herself a sorceress, and one who professed knowing of a Hyrule, but instead I’m surprised. You’re more powerful than I was led to believe."

"I was trying to avoid attention."

" _Was_?"

Lana gives Hilda a slightly wicked grin, perhaps belied by a bit of anger in her eyes. "You seem to have been kicked out of your castle, and Ravio seems to have been trapped within it by some malicious force. I don’t think discretion is going to help me fix either of those things."

Hilda responds with a similarly devious smile. "No, most likely not. Let me tell you what little I know of the situation, Lana. About an hour ago Ravio came to the castle…" Hilda frowns. "Hopefully they’ll understand if I give away a secret of theirs under these circumstances. Ravio and I are well-acquainted…"

Nodding, Lana says, "Go on. I know a little about that."

The way Hilda raises her eyebrows makes it clear that she’s surprised again, but not very much so. She continues, "Ravio warned me to flee the palace before it was too late and Councillor Abdias had taken it. I’m not sure how they knew, but they implied that they had just returned from a confrontation with Councillor Abdias. Then they had quickly made their way to the palace to warn me."

"That’s strange. When I left them, they were planning to return and tell you about Abdias’ ambush, but they weren’t in any kind of rush..."

"Strange, indeed. They must have been tipped off to Abdias’ coup somehow… Setting that aside, at their behest I left through a passage hidden deep within the castle which connects to a graveyard in the north. While I was escaping through the hidden passage, Abdias must have somehow erected the barrier you see before you, rendering any attempt I might make at procuring reinforcements rather useless." Hilda’s expression turns vicious. "I would like to know how they accomplished that. I developed this barrier with a wizard known as Yuga back during some of my darker times, but supposedly the both of us destroyed our records and notes once we had completed it. That its power has come into Abdias’ possession does not bode well."

"You developed this?" On a scholarly level, Lana has to admit she’s impressed. "Do you know of a way to bring it down?"

"In theory, the only way to bring it down is if Abdias themself chooses to release it," Hilda says grimly. "There are other options, but they’re not good ones. Lorule’s Triforce could overwhelm it, but it would have to be removed from the Sacred Realm, and I don’t want to so much as put a single toe in that place while there’s the chance Abdias could follow me in. The other option lies in Lorule’s Master Sword. However…"

Lana groans, and huffs in annoyance. "Abdias has Ravio."

"Yes," Hilda says with an amused quirk of her lips. "Ravio has been quite the chatterbox recently, haven’t they?"

"They were forced to wield it against Abdias," Lana explains. "You know I’ve met Link before. I caught on quickly."

"My mistake," says Hilda. "Regardless, the Master Sword is out of our hands. If we’re lucky, Ravio will make an escape and use it, but I wouldn’t count on it. They’re crafty, but this barrier tells me Abdias has been sitting on these plans for quite a while."

"Their attack on me makes more sense in that light. As a sorceress I undoubtedly posed a threat to a plan like this."

"That ambush was meant for _you_?" Hilda asks. Oops. Clearly Ravio hadn’t disclosed that aspect of the matter. "Oh, Ravio… Thank goodness. That gives us more room to breathe - I had assumed Abdias had discovered Ravio’s identity or knew of the Master Sword somehow, but if you were the target than the possibility of their ignorance still exists, and Ravio may be safer than we know."

Something about the way Hilda has put that makes Lana believe Ravio might have downplayed the necessity of their bunny disguise a little bit. Oh, Ravio, indeed.

"Not," Hilda adds, "that I’m particularly happy that you were the target either. It just happens to work better in our current circumstances."

If Hilda were anything less than a princess Lana might accuse her of being awkward. Lana smiles quickly, amused, but quickly turns her thoughts back to the problem at hand. "That’s good, but right now, we need to find a way to temporarily tear through this barrier. If we can get inside, perhaps we can find Ravio and work forward from there."

"Tear through?" Hilda asks. She shifts her weight against her staff. "I suppose it’s possible. But it would require a great deal of raw magical power, more than I can sustain, and most likely some kind of magical binder or catalyst."

Lana remembers the force of the backlash from her attempt at building a gate inside, and measures it carefully. It’ll be a great challenge, greater than most she’s faced before. The thought excites her and terrifies her at once. It’ll be difficult, but if Princess Hilda assists… "You know the barrier and how it works. You guide the spell, supply what you can, and let me worry about most of the power, Your Highness."

"Can you really…?" Hilda gazes at Lana. 

"It should be fun," Lana admits, running her fingers over the pages of her grimoire.

"You really should know better than to say something like that to me," Hilda says with lowered lashes. Her smile is like a sweet poison. "You already know I’m deeply attracted to power."

Up until then, Lana had almost (but not quite) forgotten how overwhelming Hilda could be. "Let’s discuss that later," Lana replies, straining for control of her voice and thoughts. 

"Yes, let’s. One problem still remains, however. The matter of the catalyst. A sacred weapon, or a magical artifact… Something that will allow us to combine and bind our magic."

Nothing suitable comes to mind. Her grimoire isn’t suited for the task; it can’t channel multiple powers the way they would need it to. It’s bound to her and she alone can wield it. She suspects the same is true of Hilda’s staff in the shape of Lorule’s Triforce, though it might also be bound in general to the royal line. Lana still wears the bracelet of Lolia which Hilda gave to her, but if it was ever magical, it isn’t now. Nothing she has is up to the task.

Then sparkles catch her eye as the fairy floats into view. During their conversation, Lana had forgotten it was there. It flies up to Lana’s eye level and smiles, reaching out a hand.

"Fairy magic," Lana whispers, awed. It can’t possibly be the case, but it feels to her as though this little fairy came along for this exact purpose, to help when she needed it most.

"A single fairy isn’t very powerful, but fairy magic, given freely, is such a strong catalyst that it doesn’t matter," Hilda murmurs. "It’s nice to meet you, spirited one," she says to the fairy. "You’re willing to help us?"

The little fairy nods.

"Then we have everything we need." Hilda lifts her chin. "Are you prepared for this?"

"The sooner we get in, the better," says Lana. 

"Very well." Hilda slips off a glove and holds her hand out towards Lana. "Let’s save the Hero of Lorule."

Lana places her hand in Hilda’s, weaving their fingers together tightly. The fairy, recognizing its time, circles around their joined hands with an excess of trailing glitter and magic. Hilda starts charging her spell, and with the fairy magic pulling them together, Lana is immediately, intimately entangled in the process. She starts adding her power to Hilda’s right as Hilda begins to cast it, using her free hand to point her staff at the barrier. Bright light shoots forth and explodes into sparks where it comes into contact with the barrier. 

At that point, Lana closes her eyes and dives into the spellwork with everything she has. This barrier is not simply protective. It has thorns, big sharp ones, that could threaten Hilda’s concentration if she doesn’t deflect them. This barrier is not supposed to rip, and it wants to stay that way. Her attention is, by necessity, split: as much power as she can manage is being put into the main force of the spell, as Hilda surgically puts it to use, scratching away at weak points in the barrier that Lana can’t see herself. But she must also hold back a little, enough to keep them safe from the deluge of magical thorns popping up in Hilda’s way.

It isn’t long before the process grows painful, but Lana was expecting that. She doesn’t call herself a sorceress for nothing, she reminds herself. She is powerful, powerful enough to hold the Triforce of Power from another land. She has the brilliant Princess of Lorule at her side, directing her. Ravio needs her. She can, and she will, win against this barrier.

They tear a slit in the barrier, and that is their first triumph. The need for power recedes a little, and Lana feels like she can breathe again even if she’s still fighting the barrier’s backlash, redirecting its anger anywhere she can. Slowly, achingly, they stretch the slit out, creating an opening.

"Let’s go!" Hilda shouts. 

Lana drops all but the barest resistance and opens her eyes. Hilda runs forward, pulling Lana with her, and she stumbles before she remembers how to use her feet. They run towards the opening in the barrier and leap inside, pressing themselves against the north wall of the castle as quick as they can.

Before she falls Lana looks out at the opening and sees the fairy flying away, floating off to the northwest, back home. The barrier closes itself back up again on that peaceful view. Lana will never be thankful enough that she was able to know that fairy. 

Then she abandons all hope of rational thought for a while, as overuse of magic fills her with aches and pains in places that don’t exist. She drops to the ground against the wall like a puppet with its strings cut. 

Hilda collapses beside her in a slightly more controlled manner. "That was amazing," she says, slightly out of breath. "Let’s never do it again."

Lana breathes out in the closest thing to a laugh she can manage and nods in complete agreement. She knows she took on the greater part of the effort; Hilda will also be aching a little, but not nearly as much as she is. She almost can’t believe they just ripped through a barrier conquerable only by sacred power on the level of the Master Sword.

With a shudder, Lana reaches for a potion flask hidden by her cloak and chugs it down.

"Will you be able to assist within the castle?" Hilda asks sensibly. 

Lana nods again. "I know my limits," she croaks after a moment, as the potion kicks in and gives her a boost of strength. It’s true, too. She has overused her magic like this before, long ago, just to see if she could. Even if it hurt afterwards, the few times she had ventured to do it, it had been exhilarating, and as a side-benefit she had learned how far she could push herself. "Don’t expect anything fancier than battle magic from me, though."

"Certainly not," says Hilda. "That should be all we need."

"Do you have some kind of plan?"

"Nothing worthy of such a grand title," Hilda says with a wry smile. "I just assume two things: we wish to avoid Councillor Abdias, who will most likely have taken up the throne room, and they will most likely have locked Ravio and any other significant dissidents in the dungeons."

"Where are the dungeons?"

"Beneath the throne room, deep within the central tower. In other words, it’s the second-most easily guarded location in the castle."

"Will it still be that well guarded?"

"I believe my captain of the guard to be trustworthy, but I can’t say the same of all those who work under her. It’s possible some guards have defected. I would expect the Councillor to have brought in another force of their own, too." 

Lana sighs. "So we'll fight our way through."

"If we're lucky perhaps they'll keep to the standard patrols, in which case, I've known how to stay out of sight since I was young," Hilda says with mischief. "We can't count on that knowledge, but the longer we can keep them from realizing we've entered, the better. Wouldn't you agree?"

Lana knows she's recovered as much as she's going to be able to for the time being. She starts getting her feet and feels a little embarrassed when she stumbles and Hilda catches her arm to help steady her. 

Hilda lets go once Lana finds her balance again. Now steady, if still aching, Lana brandishes her grimoire and silently wishes she had her Deku stick to lean on. "Lead the way, Your Highness." 

Hilda nods and sweeps forward, with Lana silently trailing behind.

She brings them around to a small tree on the palace's east side, only just covered by the barrier’s reach. At its base she sends a small blast of magic, shoving rocks and grass aside to reveal a trapdoor. "Ravio's favorite entrance," she confides under her breath, "because it’s the newest one, sort of. This should get us past the front gate, at least, and I’m certain Abdias knows nothing of it."

Rather than use the ladder, Hilda simply jumps into the hole and slows her fall with magic. Lana’s certain Hilda is just showing off. She takes the ladder. Once Lana is on the ground Hilda lights the passageway’s torches and hurries forward, taking a couple turns until they reach another ladder. Hilda climbs normally this time, with Lana behind her. 

They emerge behind courtyard bushes, finely cut and perfectly hiding the trapdoor. The walls behind Lana, unlike the solid old walls of the castle’s exterior, are bright and new, without stains or dents any signs of age at all. No wonder this passageway is new. Its exit can’t be more than a few years old, perhaps less. Secrets upon secrets, Lana thinks.

"The guards out here are acting normally, at least," Hilda murmurs. "We should be able to head for the front door within a few moments." She waves a hand over her shoes, and then Lana’s, most likely dampening sound around them.

As promised, shortly after, Hilda sprints out from their hiding place behind the bushes. Lana puts her faith in Hilda and follows after, trusting her to know there’s a hole in the guards’ patterns.

They successfully slip inside, but there’s little time to rest. The foyer is an open room and large castle doors are rarely quiet. Hilda’s magic whips out towards a guard to their left about to spot them; Lana quickly follows suit to the right with the quietest lash of magic she can manage. The guards drop with a muffled sound and two quiet thumps against the carpet.

Hilda tugs on Lana’s hand and pulls her over to a dark nook between a wall and a pillar. "Alright?" she whispers.

"Yeah," says Lana. "Which way now?"

"The corridor to the left, downstairs, then we’ll take a right heading back towards the center of the palace. The stairs there will lead down to the guarded passageways leading to the dungeons."

From Hilda’s words Lana quickly puts together a mental map. Only a moment later they’re off again, ducking into the left wing of the castle.

The next few rooms go by in a blur. At times, they strike quickly and quietly, avoiding more than one or two raised shouts, and other times they sneak by like silent wisps of wind. They stop to briefly rest again before they head downstairs. Lana leans against the wall, mentally asking her aching body to shut up for a little while. Not that it works. 

She catches Hilda giving her a glance and smiles at her. "I’m fine, trust me," she reassures Hilda.

Hilda doesn’t smile back. "Knowing you’ll be fine later only barely makes it easier knowing you’re in pain now," she says simply.

"Oh," Lana replies, unsure how to react. "Thank you," she adds after a moment, and then Hilda gives her a gentle smile and nods. "Which way once we're downstairs?"

"We'll be heading south, then circle west."

Then they're off again. 

Down in the basement the corridors are more dimly lit but also smaller, offering less space to sneak and maneuver around. At one point they find themselves confronted with a locked door and are forced to chase down the guard with the key. It's a waste of time they cannot afford if they want to reach the dungeons without being caught. At any moment shifts might change and the small trail of knocked out guards they left upstairs might be discovered. 

With every step Lana feels more and more like they’re heading into a trap, but then, if they had been trying to avoid a trap, perhaps they shouldn’t have essentially locked themselves in Lorule Castle in the first place. They could also be very lucky, but Lana isn’t sure she wants to count on something as chancy as luck. 

Hilda turns with a finger to her lips as they approach a small stairwell. Is she suggesting what Lana think she is? Hilda creeps down the steps slowly with Lana behind her. They can hear the clank of guard’s armor in the next room. 

Cautiously, Hilda peers out the stairwell exit. She turns back to Lana with a wide smile, lifts up four fingers, and then moves her hands out in a blasting motion. Lana smiles back in understanding. 

Hilda charges into the room shooting magic orbs towards the left. Lana follows behind, taking out the two guards on the right. The room is silenced instantly.

Then an enormous cheer goes up behind them, and they turn around. Lana stares in surprise. There’s an entire row of dungeon cells behind them, each with several men standing inside - the guards who are loyal to the crown, she realizes. "For Lorule," some of them yell. "For Princess Hilda!" 

While she is staring in awe and surprise, Hilda has already snatched a loop of keys from a fallen guard and begun the process of freeing her soldiers. Together, they’re probably not a force capable of taking back the castle, but they should be enough to secure passage out of the castle. As they leave the cells they head for a room off further to the left. In it Lana sees a pile of abandoned weapons, which the guards now once again take in hand.

"Lana!" 

Ravio shouts at her from over in the furthest cell. Lana turns and stares in surprise for a moment. Ravio isn’t in their bunny costume, instead wearing a familiar set of hero’s clothing, but in violet and without a hat. They’ve clipped the feathers into their hair like an accessory and they’re clinging to the cell bars, grinning at her. 

Lana quickly blinks away the double image of Link and smiles brightly back, running over. "You’re alright!" she says with plain relief. 

"Just fine! Thanks for coming. You’ve probably noticed things got a bit dicey here. Oh!" they say, clapping a hand to the side of their head to touch the feathers. "Do you want these back?"

"Keep them," Lana says, again glad she doesn’t blush easily. "I can’t believe the guards didn’t take them from you."

"Well, they looked more decorative than magical once I put them in my hair," Ravio explains. "That and they’re very pretty, even if they lost that lovely gold color when I used them."

Lana shakes her head, impressed. 

Hilda walks over, swinging the keys around her fingers. All the other cells are open now. "Hello, Ravio," she says with a dangerous smile. "If you keep doing such foolhardy things, I’m going to have to permanently forbid you from calling yourself a coward, you know."

Ravio bows slightly, even jokingly, and smiles as brightly as they had for Lana. "I’m almost certain I’m the bait set to trap you, but I’m still very happy to see you, Your Royal Highness."

"Yes, I’m sure they’re going to storm us once we’re back on the ground floor," Hilda says, as if entirely unbothered by the idea. She deftly opens the lock on the cell, letting out a stream of servants and the last few straggling soldiers. "Ravio, do you happen to know if Abdias took Master Sword?"

"The Sword?" Ravio asks with surprise, leaving the cell. "Why?"

"Somehow Abdias found the barrier spell I crafted with Yuga. The Master Sword is our best bet at taking it down and freeing the castle."

"Huh. Good thing Abdias doesn’t have the Master Sword, then."

Lana frowns. "So where is it?"

Ravio winks at Lana and heads towards the pile of swords, shuffling through the remains. They pull out a sword, tucked in its scabbard, with the hilt fully covered up in a familiar blue striped scarf. At a glance it almost looks wrapped up as one wraps a sword for a package. "Took it off and told the guy who frisked me that I was delivering it for the captain of the guard," Ravio says. "Worked like a charm."

They unsheathe the sword, hold it aloft and tug the scarf free of its knot. The Master Sword, its emerald hilt and golden jewel as bright as the day she first saw them, shines with power as the scarf falls away.

"Ravio, you’re the cleverest person I’ve ever met," Lana hears Hilda tell them with genuine awe. "I’m going to kiss you when this is over."

Ravio looks at Hilda with wide, blinking eyes, then smiles and sheathes the sword again, fastening the scabbard to their back. Then they ruin the heroic image perfectly by throwing their scarf back around their neck. 

"Wanna go walk straight into Abdias’ ambush, somehow escape, take down the barrier and kick that no-good would-be usurper off the throne?"

Hilda laughs with genuine joy. "Couldn’t have put it better myself. Non-combatants and injured soldiers, please stay here until the fighting ends. Everyone else, let’s get out of here." She starts off towards the staircase, correctly expecting everyone to follow. Ravio and Lana hang back a little - Lana just because, and Ravio in order to pick up a shield left behind. 

As Ravio walks up to Lana, Lana mutters, "Complicated, huh?"

Ravio gives her a funny look before comprehension dawns and they remember what they said about their relationship with Hilda. "Uh… Yep. She nearly hurt a lot of people, I openly betrayed her, we’re still getting over all of that but also maybe slightly in love?"

When they put it that way, Lana can kind of see why "complicated" is the term they go for. Lana shakes her head, half-amused, as they turn the corner through the snaking hallways out of the basement.

"Lana? Sorry if I cut your vacation short. Is everything okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm just fine," Lana says. "I was coming back soon anyway. Those three days helped."

"Oh. Okay. Good." Ravio looks kind of nervous. "By the way, if the castle’s surrounded by that barrier, how did you and Hilda get in?"

"We tore our way inside with magic… Lots of magic. It was necessary, but I’m going to ache for days. Why is the walk to the dungeons so long and so dark?"

Hilda, up ahead in the ranks but still in earshot, interrupts their mutual questioning to answer that one. "It architecturally supports psychological warfare," she says. "Tie a prisoner up and frighten them by bringing them, helpless, through maze-like hallways with dark corners."

"I didn’t know that," Ravio says quietly, and it marks the end of their lighthearted discussion, as Lana recognizes the staircase that will bring them all up, nice and bottle-necked, to the first floor.

Hilda turns around and instructs some guards to lead the way. "Don't worry, I believe Councillor Abdias will wait to try killing you until they see me. You should be as safe as any of your fellow guards. Captain Alondra, enter behind me. Ravio, behind the captain. Everyone else, come when you can. Try to form a circle around us."

"Yes, Your Highness," they chorus. 

Hilda looks at Lana with a grim expression. "I'm afraid you're the card up our sleeve, Lana. Councillor Abdias will likely assume I was trapped within the castle and managed to conceal myself, but you have little reason to be here."

"There's little I can do right now unless I were to endanger my very soul," Lana says quietly, pained.

Hilda sighs. "I know. Please make do with what you can, and take care of yourself."

"I will, Your Highness." It occurs to Lana that... she might. She might risk her soul if it meant saving Hilda, Ravio, and Lorule. She won't. She's too afraid and she realizes she might be needed in their future too. But the temptation remains. Lana stares at her hands like she's trying to comprehend her own mortality. 

"That's all she can say right now, since she's too busy being the Princess, but she means it," Ravio says a little to her left. Lana looks up and they're smiling a very Ravio smile, which again softens the shock of seeing them looking so much like Link. "She doesn't know your history, though. It probably struck a nerve, huh?"

"I'm more frightened at the fact that I brought up the possibility at all," Lana admits. 

Ravio swivels around in front of her and wraps her hands in theirs. "We'll all get through this. Be safe, be clever, be strong. We'll do the same."

Lana squeezes their hands in thanks and lets them go. They fall into line behind Captain Alondra and head up the stairs. 

The last few guards head up the stairs shortly after. Lana feels left alone in the dark, but she shakes the gloominess off and starts climbing the stairs as quietly as she can. At first all she can hear is clanking, armored footsteps above her. Then they stop, reaching the first floor. 

Lana peeks over the stair, staying shadowed, but just on the edge of the stairwell. She’s tempted to throw up a mild invisibility spell, but would it be worth it? What if she needed the magic for something more later? And she doesn’t stick out half so much with those red feathers no longer on her hat. She’ll take her chances. 

The guards come to a halt, forming a loose circle around Hilda and Ravio, by what Hilda can see through their feet. 

Then (surprise, surprise) Abdias’ voice rings out. "Finally came out of your hidey-hole, Hilda? You took longer to rescue your favorite pet than I’d thought." Lana raises her eyebrows, wondering how Ravio is taking that little insult. 

"Stand down before you get yourself hurt, Councillor Abdias," says Hilda. "You’re a fool to think you can dethrone the Princess of Lorule so easily."

"I don’t need to dethrone you, just kill you," says Abdias. "That said, surrender and leave Lorule in exile and you will be allowed to live." 

Hilda laughs. "No."

As they speak, Lana tries to assess the situation. What can she do with only her weakest spells? It's not as though she has a great deal of practice with weak spells, either. Forbidden, arcane and powerful has always been her way. 

She imagines what the scene before her must look like to Abdias. What could turn the tide? What could she do to help Ravio and Hilda face them, short of a miracle?

Lana realizes she doesn't need power at all. She just needs timing, and then maybe she can turn things around. Quietly she begins preparing a light spell, complex in nature, but very low-powered. 

"Come to your senses. My magic will overpower yours, and even if it did not, your have too few knights to stand against my army. By now you must know you are trapped in here with no escape. Don't be a fool."

"Allow me to let you in on a secret you've no doubt suspected, Councillor," Hilda says. Lana knows this is her moment. She releases the carefully constructed light spell. She can't see it herself, but she has faith in her magic: Hilda has begun to glow with a soft golden light. "I have restored the Triforce of Lorule. I am responsible for Lorule's slow recovery. No doubt now that Lorule might end up something worth ruling, you've chosen to act. But I will keep this kingdom out of your reach. You would only send it further into ruin."

"Th-the legendary Triforce? Then, I'll just take that from you as well!" Abdias sounds a hint less confident than before. Lana smiles in satisfaction.

"I can't allow that," Ravio interrupts. Lana hears the unsheathing of a sword and steady footsteps. 

"Ravio? You servant, you dare..." Abdias stops mid-sentence, disturbed by something.

Quickly, Lana pulls together a light spell identical to the one she's placed on Hilda and throws it over Ravio so the two of them share the same golden glow. Ravio lightheartedly says to Abdias, "Oh, you noticed my sword, huh? Yeah, I found it in this funny little forest the other day. I really should've let myself hit you with it that one time, though. Could have saved myself a lot of trouble."

Lana can hear the clatter of skeletons shifting in place, the rattle of their bones growing louder the more Ravio speaks. Whether it’s her “divine light” or Hilda and Ravio’s grandstanding doing the trick, it seems like Abdias’ minions are getting more than a little bit intimidated by their little show.

"Y-you were..." Abdias' confusion causes Lana's smile to widen. Abdias is putting together the pieces: the Master Sword, the violet clothes, the youth in the bunny suit from their ambush a few days ago. All coming up, no doubt, with a frightening conclusion: Ravio, the servant they used as the bait for Hilda, is a prophesied Hero of Lorule. 

Both Abdias and their army are thinking this might not be the easy coup they’d bargained for.

Ravio moves their feet, probably taking up a defensive stance. "Stand down, Abdias. I will not let you harm the Princess."

"Then you'll die with her," Abdias snarls. A sword is unsheathed, and then many swords. The fight begins. 

Lana waits only a moment before she charges up the stairs, grimoire in hand and battle spells at the ready. It isn't long before she spots a swarm of skeletons to the left and starts blasting at them, assuming that by now Ravio and Hilda have Abdias distracted enough to make them miss her presence. She keeps to her subtlest battle magic just in case. As it is, for these troops, that's all she needs. 

She spots a summoner down the hall and decides that she's going to take the tactic that Abdias interrupted the last time they'd met. Trusting the guards behind her to hold the skeletons off, she starts to force her way through, careful to avoid being hit. In her present state a good blow could hit twice as hard, and she can't afford to be stopped. Thankfully, as ever among these smaller monsters, she's nearly untouchable. 

When the summoner is finally in range she throws down lightning, raising a sparking barrier where the summoner is and shocking all the creatures in between. Tossed around by the chaos of her magic, the summoner falls quickly, and several of the skeletons pause in abrupt confusion. 

Lana stumbles but quickly rights herself. She starts retreating back towards the guards, still taking out swathes of enemies on the way. Finally she slips herself past a couple guards and doubles over, catching her breath, as they quickly close the hole and work to defend her. 

"Are you alright, milady?" One of the guards asks. 

"It's just Lana," she says, straightening up again. Already some of the monsters have thinned out around where she took out the summoner. She glances behind her. She can hear Ravio yelling and see Abdias' spells clashing against Hilda's. With any luck, between the two of them, they'll wear down Abdias' guard. 

Until then, Hilda is going to be distracted. Time to do a little commanding of her own. 

"Do any of you know where other summoners are on the west side?" 

The same guard who addressed her before replies. "There's three more of them that we can see. Each has a strong mage or soldier backing them."

"If I can take them out, maybe we can start advancing out to the courtyard. If we can get Ravio to the castle's front gate from there we'll be able to contact reinforcements. Will two of you cover me?"

The guard calls for the assistance of two soldiers in the area where fewer skeletons are attacking. "Watch my back," Lana orders shortly. They nod in understanding. With a deep breath, she steps out past the circle of guards and back into the fray.

Lana starts losing track of time, caught up in spells and the need to keep moving. Her eyes are focused on the summoner, with only a bit of attention spared for the mage behind them. She entrusts her cover with the smaller threats.

Soon the second summoner is in range. Lana goes into the motions to take the summoner out with the same long-range lightning spell as last time, but the mage watching the summoner’s back sees her and sends magic her way. It forces her to dodge in the middle of her attack, breaking the spell off. 

Lana ignores the summoner briefly to focus on approaching the mage. She sends magic blasts in the mage’s direction, slowly forcing them back towards the summoner. Then, daringly, she charges forward, throws up three barriers around both the mage and the summoner, and brings the barriers together to smash them in between. 

She’s successful - both the pesky mage and the summoner go down. More than a few skeletons fall to her attack as well. Lana falls back slightly. She knows she’s reaching the limits of her ability, but she only has a little more she needs to do. She allows the guards to take on most of the enemies for a moment while she surveys the field in search of the last two summoners.

There’s no need to look for very long, however. The soldiers guarding the last summoners have noticed her and they’re already headed her way.

Lana knows she has to act quickly, before they stray too far from their posts. She takes a deep breath and runs up, using the last bit of adrenaline she has, and catches them off guard with two whole lines of barriers, stretching all the way back towards the last summoner. 

Like she’s done it a thousand times before, and come to think of it, maybe she has, Lana jumps and leaps from barrier to barrier, catching the surprised looks of the monsters caught beneath her as she goes. With each footstep she links the barriers to her spell.

She lands right in front of the fourth summoner, with the third summoner and both soldiers caught between her barriers.

Lana smiles, grins, and snaps her fingers.

Every single barrier explodes with incredible force, one by one, sending enemies spiraling away. Lana stumbles as her body screams out in pain for a moment, rejecting the magic violently. She doesn’t allow herself to fall though, forcing her legs to move forward and bring her back to her cover while the path is still clear.

Finally, she’s done. The skeletons on the left side have been severely weakened due to her efforts. Their group has the best shot they’re going to get at escaping this situation.

Once Lana is with the guards, she waves back towards the center of the fighting and focuses on protecting herself from the few remaining skeletons nearby. Not long after, Hilda calls out, though Lana can barely hear her over clashing weapons. "Move!" she yells.

"There’s nowhere to run!" Abdias shouts out. It’s useless, though. By now all the Hyrule soldiers know exactly where they need to run. Slowly the party starts retreating towards Lana and her guards. Lana witnesses a flash of light, a short-range warp spell, probably. Abdias has fled for the moment. She has no doubt they’ll see them again, however, before they’re out of the castle.

But the fact that Abdias has retreated, even temporarily, is still a victory. 

Their flight proceeds more smoothly from there. Hilda and Ravio take point at the first opportunity and soon the hallway begins to look much emptier. It isn’t long before Lana’s cover steps back into formation, while Lana herself ducks behind Hilda and Ravio for a breather. Only once they seal her off from the skeletons does she finally allow herself to drop her guard a little, recovering.

"Your light magic was a stroke of brilliance," Ravio says to her in between skewering enemies. They look worn down from battling Abdias, but only slightly. "I almost thought Abdias was going to turn tail and sprint away when I started glowing, too. It was kinda fun!" 

Lana laughs weakly, shaking her head. "You rotten prankster," she teases. 

"You’ve done more than enough, Lana," Hilda says. "I was hardly expecting you to nearly single-handedly puncture a hole in Abdias’ forces in addition to that, but my captain tells me that’s what happened. You keep amazing me."

"She does that," says Ravio. 

"Thank you," Lana says, because she isn’t sure how else to receive the praise. Impa and Sheik had praised her skill in battle a few times (with Link quietly smiling in agreement, usually), but as the person who had caused all the trouble in the first place, she’d never felt able to truly accept it. Additionally, back then, she knew she had been much clumsier, skilled in magic but not at all in fighting as part of an army. 

"That’s what we’re trying to say to _you_ ," Ravio tells her. "Thank you!"

Their group reaches the end of the hallway and starts heading south into the next one, which should take them directly out to the courtyard where Lorule Castle’s front gate lies. There are no monsters in this direction, only traitors and others following Abdias’ command. Lana herself stays a step behind Hilda and Ravio, throwing light magical bursts at the few soldiers still standing as they move past. They proceed swiftly through the area, easily outnumbering those standing in their way. Abdias is almost definitely trying to regroup near the front gate, perhaps suspecting that they have a way to break the barrier. 

Lana gathers up the little power she’s saved as they approach the courtyard doors, stepping up closer to the front line. She runs her hand across the pages of her grimoire, tense and ready to support everyone however she can.

They open the doors and the afternoon sun shines down on them, altered and dimmed by the barrier that still shimmers darkly around the castle, but still bright. Lana blinks until her vision clears, and she sees the remainder of Abdias’ army before them. 

Abdias stands by the gate, practically emanating hatred and evil power. Lana wonders where they got it. That kind of power is not natural, and Abdias must be using something to enhance their capabilities. Her eyes are drawn to the jeweled band around their head. It doesn’t look like anything special, but it’s the only remarkable thing Abdias seems to be wearing. Lana makes a note to take a crack at it, just in case.

As they stream through the doors their party splits again. The guards reform a circle around Ravio and Hilda, who move towards Abdias, Hilda with no hesitation, and Ravio a beat behind her. Lana follows them this time, but hangs back. She won’t be able to deal heavy blows to Abdias, but she can still hit them from here, and Abdias will have less of a chance of hitting her.

Abdias catches sight of Lana and laughs sharply. "I should have known you were here, too, sorceress. You shouldn’t have come."

Hilda steps into place, thrusting the end her of staff against the ground so that it crackles with magic. Her expression is full of righteous, fierce, merciless anger; her eyes are narrowed in disgust. "You will die here if you continue this, Abdias."

Rather than reply Abdias lashes out at her with magic. 

Lana intercepts the magic with her own. Hilda catches on to Lana’s goal quickly, turning all her skill to offense while Lana protects her from behind. Abdias sends a few spells towards Lana in anger, but she dodges them easily. Ravio moves in towards Abdias and slashes towards their torso. Abdias parries with fire magic, which Ravio sidesteps with an almost inaudible yelp.

Even consumed with dark magic Abdias can’t battle all three of them at once. Rather than let their guard drop, they back off slowly towards the closed castle gate. 

Backed into a corner, Abdias raises their arms, gathering magic in an orb. Lana is disturbingly reminded of Ganondorf in the fragile moment before Abdias brings it down, sending it powerfully at Hilda, Ravio, and Lana all at once. 

Lana throws up shields in front of Hilda and Ravio with success but her own shield shatters. She throws her hands up in front of her face, for all the good it will do. In her weakened state, this magic will cook her on the spot.

It hits. She crumples, collapses. She can’t move, but she’s aware that she’s alive. She shouldn’t be.

Lana looks at her hands. Is she glowing? No, she isn’t, though the skin on her right hand, which was hit first by the blast, is red, maybe burned. Was she mistaken?

She looks up, hearing Ravio and Hilda crying out as if through a deep fog. Hilda has spent a great deal magic on a binding spell, holding Abdias in place. Ravio is rearing back with the Master Sword, ready to strike. Abdias is going to break free at any moment. 

Lana casts a small binding spell of her own, layering its strength over that of Hilda’s spell. Abdias looks at her in shock, no doubt as disbelieving that she’s alive as she is.

Ravio charges forward, piercing Abdias and the magic barrier around Lorule with the Master Sword in the same powerful thrust. 

Lana passes out to Abdias’ scream, and notices that the sun brightens, too.

She wakes in a soft bed, under warm blankets, unwilling to move. Her right hand is bandaged up. Exhaustion and pain compel her to keep her eyes closed, but curiosity makes her open them, just a little.

The wall is painted in soft pastel yellow, and the furniture is of good quality, antique, well-maintained. She can see a wooden desk with many papers and letters on it, as well as a gold headband with a cracked ruby embedded at its center, and a chair, left somewhat askew, with a familiar bunny suit draped over the edge. The room is lit by steady lanterns, not sunlight.

There’s a glass of water on the nearby bedstand, right next to her grimoire, but she’s too tired to reach for it. Lana closes her eyes and slips back into sleep, feeling safe.

When she wakes up the next morning she has enough energy to turn towards the water glass, but Ravio, seated at the desk, leaps to their feet and starts babbling at her about how glad they are that she's okay while helping by passing her the water. 

She smiles at the familiarity of her best friend’s chatter, and doesn’t miss that they still wear her feathers in their hair. With hardly any prompting Ravio launches into a rundown of how they took back the castle, re-established order, had healers puzzle over the fact that Lana survived, and so on. 

As always, Ravio spins a good yarn, even making her laugh with some of their choice commentary on the reactions of the sheepish council members, and their reaction when they learned that Ravio was their hero that day. Some of those "stuffy shirts" had ordered Ravio around personally back when they were actually a servant of the castle (rather than half-pretending to be one), and many councillors had made up for it now by sucking up to Ravio embarrassingly fast. 

"What next, Ravio?" Lana asks. "Do you need to stay at the castle or anything? What's going to happen?"

"Hilda wants me to get rid of the little bit of sparkle over there," Ravio says, pointing behind them to the jeweled headband on the desk. "We recognized it a little while ago. It was Yuga's. Some of Yuga's evil must have rubbed off on it, we think. Not enough to really influence Abdias or anything, but enough to boost their magic. It explains where the barrier around the castle came from, too. Destroying the gem seems to have dispelled its power, but better safe than sorry."

"No kidding," Lana says, thinking of an evil spirit which resided in a cursed ring. 

"So... I'm gonna do that. I'll also be taking the Master Sword back to the Skull Woods. It feels like I should, I don’t know, I can’t really explain it. After that, back to the usual, I guess. Um, Lana, will you come with me?"

They look vulnerable asking the question, enough that Lana knows they’re really asking a little bit more than that. She almost laughs - they can’t possibly know how loaded that particular request is for her, asking her to return the Master Sword with them. Rather than laugh, Lana starts to answer, but Hilda’s voice from the hallway interrupts. 

"Ravio, Alondra wants to see you about something or another, and she doesn’t look happy."

"Fine, fine," Ravio calls back. To Lana, they quickly say, "Think about it, okay? Oh, I’ll make sure some food is sent up here for you while I’m at it."

"Don’t need to think about it," Lana says as they start heading for the door. "I’ll be there."

"Great!" Ravio chirps. They turn around before they exit and wink at her, maybe blushing a little. "Oh, by the way, Hilda! Lana’s awake." Then they disappear. 

A moment later, Hilda enters the room, her eyes searching Lana out. She smiles gracefully when she sees her. "How are you, Lana?"

"Ow," Lana says with a smile. She thinks it sums everything up pretty well.

Hilda laughs and steals Ravio’s abandoned seat. "I can’t say I’m surprised. My favorite doctor thinks you’ll be back on your feet tomorrow. Xe suggests you avoid magic as much as possible, however, until you fully recover. Additionally, the burn on your hand is healing well. Keep it clean and there should be minimal scarring."

"That sounds about right," Lana confirms, experimentally shrugging her shoulders. Ow. 

"Has Ravio already told you what’s going on?"

"Most of it. Towards the end I think they were trying badly to ask me out."

Hilda smiles wryly. "Probably. Though they only seem to have realized it recently, I think our poor hero has been pining for weeks."

Lana is briefly floored by that revelation. She snaps her jaw shut again and avoids Hilda's highly amused eyes. "No wonder you wanted meet me," she says. 

"Yes, though I didn't expect to be as thoroughly enchanted by you as well."

Lana resists a strong urge to bury her head in the blankets, and settles for covering her face with her unharmed hand.

"Am I making you uncomfortable? I'll stop. I don't mean to pressure you..."

"No," Lana says. Is she blushing? Probably. "If... If you're willing to take things slow, flirt all you want."

Hilda gently draws her hand away from her face. "Truly?"

Lana swallows and meets Hilda’s eyes, her insides fluttering. "Please be patient with me. I’m still dealing with things. But I want to be with you. And Ravio, as well - this is almost exactly what I was going to tell them, too."

"They’ll be glad to hear it," Hilda says warmly, in a way that makes it very clear she’s saying it about herself, too. She places her hand on Lana’s shoulder and leans out of the chair, aiming to give Lana a kiss on the cheek. Lana deliberately turns her head to catch her lips, and she lifts her hand to Hilda’s cheek, keeping her right where she wants her for a moment. Lana can feel her pulse pounding, excited by the kiss and its promise of the future.

She draws away, smiling. "Not quite that slow," she murmurs, and then she drops her hand and frees Hilda to sit back down again.

It’s nice to get one up on Hilda, who presses a hand to her lips, flushed and grinning. "Yes, that was nice. We should do it again sometime."

Lana feels thoroughly satisfied with herself and collapses back against the pillows, closing her eyes. "Yeah. Oh, uh… Did Ravio tell you anything about me?"

"They made vague implications of knowing your past, but nothing more."

"I’ll tell you the long version sometime. The short version is that I fell in love with Link, got split by a demon into a version of me who was cruel and obsessed with them as well as the Triforce, and a version of me who wasn’t, and I ended up fighting a war against myself to save Hyrule. The other version of me was killed. I fell a little in love with Princess Zelda and her guardian as well."

Lana opens her eyes. Hilda doesn’t respond for a moment, looking thoughtful, like she’s turning the information over in her head and absorbing it slowly.

"You’ll have to tell me the full story at some point," she says, "but thank you. That explains a good deal. Know that I care for you no less because of it."

"I know," Lana says quietly. She does know. If she condemned Hilda for her past actions, it’d be as good as condemning herself. Hilda, she’s certain, feels the same way.

Hilda takes Lana’s hand and kisses it, making Lana wonder if this is going to be a trend with her. Hadn’t Hilda done this the last time, too? "I’ll be back shortly," she says. "There are still loose ends to tie up in the castle. I’m milking this incident for every bit of intimidation it’s worth. Nobody will cross me like Abdias any time soon."

"Have fun terrifying them," Lana wishes, returning to a bit of her usual cheer. "Oh - before you go, is this your bedroom?"

Hilda is already out of her chair. "Yes, it is," she says, tilting her head with curiosity.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay here, Your Highness."

"Oh, Lana… You just kissed me, you realize. In private, please call me Hilda. And apart from that..." Hilda smiles wickedly. "Of course. You’re welcome in my bed any time."

Dizzily, Lana thinks that Hilda’s bold flirting is going to be the death of her someday. 

With a content sigh, Lana sinks back again. 

She takes proper inventory of herself to pass the time. Her body aches, all throughout. That’s most of it. If she lies still, the ache is bearable. It’s when she moves that it becomes properly painful. The burn on her hand isn’t especially painful, but the pain is just enough to irritate her without something else to distract her. It covers a small area: the bandages are wrapped around the back of her hand, leaving her fingers mostly free, and spread an inch or so past her wrist. The burn is also slightly itchy.

How did she get blasted with that magic, unprotected either by shields or even her own innate power, and come out with only this? 

Ravio returns in a little while, carrying a tray with a drink, a sandwich, and some fruit. A potion sits on the edge of the tray as well. Sheerow flutters around their shoulder. The silly bird must have finally returned from wherever it was hiding the other day. 

"Sorry," they say, moving her grimoire a little farther away to make room on the bedstand. "Hope you don’t mind."

"You know, that’s twice now I’ve fallen asleep and woken up to find my grimoire exactly where I would have put it myself," Lana remarks. "You noticed and you make sure it’s right by me, don’t you?"

Ravio glances at her, flustered. "Well, we’ve camped together enough times…"

"Has anybody ever told you that you’re very sweet?"

"Um…" They seem stunned into a non-verbal state, staring at her without knowing what to say. Their hands twitch a little, as if halting an action - pulling down bunny ears they’re currently not wearing, maybe? Lana’s starting to figure out when Ravio most closely resembles Link: when things are serious, or they’re angry or confused, they go from chatty to quiet in a way she’s starting to find kind of charming. "I… Huh?"

Lana draws them close for a quick kiss, surprising them. Ravio quickly recovers after the end of the kiss and leans in to steal another one, this one a little longer but just as enthusiastic as the first. This, Lana thinks, is exactly what kissing a best friend you’re in love with should feel like. (Minus the annoying extra part where everything still kind of hurts, that is.) 

Ravio wears a bright, unwavering smile for nearly an hour straight after that. Sheerow sticks close to Lana and tries to swipe bites of her food. 

Recovery goes slowly and quickly at the same time. Lana spends the day in the company of Ravio and Hilda, sometimes both, sometimes neither. When alone she returns to the thought of her new project about communication spells across dimensions. Hilda catches her at it later in the evening and quickly engages her in a discussion of the magical theory behind it. Lana’s pleasantly surprised when Hilda, even with limited knowledge about dimensional magic, is nearly able to keep up with her as she explains her thoughts. 

That night Hilda offers her the choice between staying in her room and moving to a room a short walk down the hall. Lana chooses to move. Walking down there is a slightly painful process, but it works out well. She takes another potion before she falls asleep with a smile.

In the morning she wakes up, very much refreshed. She feels a little weak and still wants to avoid using magic for a little while, but she feels like she can move around again. In a little bathroom off her room she starts peeling back the bandages on her right hand, ready to change them. 

The skin is still red and dry, but most of the healing has already been done. More interestingly, the burn has left only a slight scar behind. There are three thin white lines on the bottom of the back of her hand, forming a perfect upside-down equilateral triangle.

Lana shivers and whispers a prayer of thanks to Din, and makes a note to double check if she goes by a different name in Lorule later.

She leaves her room a little while later with her hand wrapped in new, clean bandages. She peeks into Hilda’s bedroom, but finds Ravio and Hilda locked in deep conversation, close to each other. If she’s not mistaken, it’s a discussion they’ve probably been dancing around for a very long time. She’ll come back later, so she doesn’t interrupt.

Lana wanders through the castle, familiarizing herself more with the layout. She passes through the hallway where they fought. It has already been cleaned and restored to its original state. It’s not the first time she can be in a place and almost feel the whisper of a battle she fought around her, but it’s still a strange feeling. The courtyard, though beautiful, feels the same way. Perhaps with time the whisper will fade. Lana fiddles with the bracelet of Lolia on her unbandaged wrist.

She returns upstairs after a while and finds herself greeted with a pair of warm, happy kisses. The rest of the day seems to go by in a blur of discovery and new love.

On the next day Lana can feel herself restored almost to normal. She itches to try her magic again, like greeting a dear friend just come back from a journey. She and Ravio sit in a meeting room munching on lunch, and talking about their plans for the next couple of weeks. 

"We should stop by the Sanctuary," Ravio says. "I was going to ask the priests if any of them had ideas for destroying a cursed object."

"You mean Abdias', I mean, Yuga's headpiece?"

"Yeah, exactly." Ravio pulls the band out of nowhere, frowning at it. 

Lana asks, "Would a volcano work?"

"What? Well, sure, but that would be really difficult! Death Mountain has been dormant for..."

Lana plucks the band from Ravio's hands, slowly and carefully opens a tiny little horizontal gate in front of her, and tosses the trinket in. She peers into the gate, watching it fall into the lava, just to be sure. 

Ravio leans over to get a good look themself. "Oh," they say. "Right. Hyrule. That works. Sheesh, I lived there for a little while. You’d think I’d figure that one out, huh? What a funny bunny I am." 

Satisfied, and pleased to be casting magic freely once more, Lana snaps the gate shut. "Well, good thing I thought of it, then. That saves us a good chunk of the trip."

Ravio laughs and moves on to the leg of their trip after they return the Master Sword. Lana makes a casual inquiry about libraries in Lorule, thinking about her project, only to find that the royal collection is just about the only one left. Disappointing, but at least it’s a start. They plan on seeing Beatrise again, to clear up the confusion of the forged map and tell her of their recent adventures. If they’re lucky, she might have a mystery or two for them, as well. 

Before she goes to sleep that night, Lana opens another gate, bigger and this time connecting to the place she’d left in the Twilight Realm. Sitting there, untouched, are several of her belongings, and the fairy’s lantern, still cracked. She pulls the items through to her room and shuts the gate.

As she magically fuses the glass of the lantern back together, fixing it piece by piece, she hopes the fairy made its way safely back home.

The next day, she and Ravio pack their things and sneak out of the castle through the courtyard passage. They've already promised Hilda that next time they return, they'll stay a little longer. 

But for now, Ravio's happy to get away from all the servants and guards staring at him as if they're, like, a hero or something. Lana can't help but agree, even if she really only played a minor part in all of this. 

Ravio dons their bunny suit again, bright and happy beneath their mask, and a little more comfortable within it. Lana's hand has healed, though the triangle scar still remains, almost invisible except under good lighting and direct scrutiny. Even so, Lana quietly asks Ravio if she can take for herself a pair of fingerless gloves she finds lying around their room, and when they say yes, she starts wearing them as soon as she takes off the bandages. 

They start making their way towards the Skull Woods, traveling as usual, though they walk many parts of the trail hand-in-hand. It doesn’t take them long to reach it. They wander through it for a day, prompting Lana to make more than one grumbled remark about the Lost Woods, before at last they come upon the magic barrier that had appeared to them before. 

"Alright," Lana says, smiling and dropping Ravio's free hand. They've already drawn the sword. "Good luck."

Ravio pulls back their hood and shakes their head at her. "Don't be silly, Miss Lana." They slip through the barrier, disappearing, but then their hand slips back into sight to grab hold of hers. They tug her in past the barrier. 

The little grove, unlike most of the forest, is full of lush green grass, and softly shaded by trees above. Peaceful forest animals dart aside when they see them, but stay close, peering at them from the bushes. Lana walks a pace behind Ravio with a sense of awe for this little pocket of peace in the world. 

As they approach the pedestal at the clearing's end, Ravio drops Lana's hand and continues on their own. Sheerow lands on Lana’s cloaked shoulder, one of its favorite perches as of late, watching with her.

Ravio lifts the Master Sword high, then flips it upside down, holding the hilt steady with both hands. They slide it back into its rightful place. The Master Sword will sleep again, to remain undisturbed until the next time they, or maybe another Hero of Lorule in the distant future, have need of it.

The clearing goes silent. 

Ravio leaves the pedestal, smiling, and draws their hood back up again. Lana reaches a hand out towards them, finding herself smiling as well. 

They walk together out of the clearing, and the fog and the magic close in behind them, obscuring the sacred place once more.


End file.
